The Minister for Local Government is being asked to provide a guarantee of funding to Longford Council for the next three years to compensate for the rates loss from Lough Ree Power Station.
The call is coming from local Fine Gael Senator Micheal Carrigy who's raising the issue in the Seanad this lunchtime with the Minister.
Longford Council was set to lose out on over a million euro in rates each year after the Lough Ree power station closed prematurely in 2019, and it's been compensated from the national exchequer for the past three years.
Senator Carrigy says the council shouldn't have to make an application each year, and should be guaranteed the funds up until 2026 when the station was originally set to close.
He says the uncertainty and delay in getting the funding every year has a knock on effect on planning the county's budget.
''Normally every September I have to make a plea to the department, an application goes in from the Council and I have to raise the issue and it's only then we seem to get notification that we are going to get the funding but that's running into late September early October. Our budget is in November so all preparatory work is done in advance with regard putting the budget to members and its always last minute. For the last three years in September I've had to raise this issue with the Department.''
