KILDARE: Money to fund arts and library centres doesn't just come from one town

Kildare County Council has stated that development levies from across County Kildare are used to fund both the Newbridge County Library, Archives, and Cultural Centre and the Riverbank Arts Centre, also in Newbridge.

Social Democrats councillor Chris Pender sought information from KCC “focusing on the allocation of development levies and the funding of key countywide projects located in Newbridge.”

Specifically, wanted to know how the library and theatre are funded and the issue will be raised at a forthcoming Kildare Newbridge Municipal District meeting.

He says that while both are based in the town they serve the entire county.

He believes funding for libraries, recreational spaces and playgrounds “should not come solely from municipal district budgets but from countywide resources, reflecting their importance and service to the broader County Kildare community.”

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Cllr Pender said it would be unfair to expect the municipal district budget alone to cover developments that serve a countywide purpose. The funding for such significant projects must reflect their  broader importance to all of Kildare.”

KCC also said a planned project at the library building will see the ground and first floor replace the current library and provide space for expanded services that will include meeting rooms and space for events and exhibitions.

The second floor will hold the Kildare county archives and the Kildare local studies collections. This means the proposed building will be a combination of Newbridge branch library used mainly by the local community and an archives facility that will bring users from across the county and further afield.