Kildare Cllr gets approval for community groups to apply for LPT fund worth over €600k

By Kim O'Leary

There is some good news for local communities and groups from the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District as it has been announced that they will be notified before councillors make a decision concerning the allocation of the Local Property Tax Fund which is worth over €600,000.

Independent Cllr Fiona McLoughlin Healy said that she was 'delighted' that for the first time in 4 years all community groups registered with the Public Participation Network in the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District will be notified of the Municipal District’s Local Property Tax Fund worth over €600,000 before local councillors make a decision as to how the fund will be allocated and to which groups.

Cllr McLoughlin Healy said: "It has taken a couple of years and a lot of robust debate but I would like to thank my fellow Cllrs for accepting that the fairest, most innovative and most effective use of this significant fund is; to inform all community groups in our MD of the fund’s existence;  and to invite all  community groups to notify your local Cllrs as to how your community group would like to put a part of this significant fund to work for our community."

"Thank you to Director of Services, Sonya Kavanagh who is currently putting together details of the notification of this year’s LPT fund for communication to the PPN. So if you are a member of a community group that needs funding for a particular idea that would be of benefit to the community it might be a good idea to start putting your homework together now! Not every idea or applicant group can be guaranteed funding but Kildare-Newbridge MD Cllrs will be able to make more informed decisions about LPT fund allocations than ever before," she said.

Meanwhile, Cllr McLoughlin Healy is urging members of the PPN but from a different Municipal District to pressure their MD cllrs to take a more transparent and fair approach to allocating tax-payers money in their district.