Cork City Council votes for 28% increase in Service Charges
cork |
bin tax / household tax / water tax |
news report 
Tuesday December 16, 2003 14:34
by HASC member, Cork
Cork City Council last night voted for a 28% increase in domestic Service Charges.
The increase of €78 brings the annual charge to €355 but indications are that this will continue to rise substantially.
Members of Cork Householders Against Service Charges (HASC) picket the City Council Estimate's meeting in protest at the increase and at the City Council's campaign of coercion. Householders who haven't paid have been warned that their bins will remain uncollected. The deadline of November 17th has passed and indications are that the New Year will see the start of the non-collection.
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3Notice you do not say which Cork Councillors opposed the charges.
I didn't get to the meeting but I can be fairly sure that Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the PDs voted for the Estimates. The Labour Party have traditionally split on the issue, particularly if the vote is close, but since it wasn't very close, they probably voted against this time in the knowledge that their seats weren't in danger.
The Green Party (Cllr. Chris O'Leary) proposed the abolition of the charges and their replacement with a pay-by-weight policy (still double taxation). It didn't receive much support.
Cllr. Johnathan O'Brien (Sinn Fein) almost certainly voted against while Alderman Con O'Connell, who opposes these charges, is currently in hospital. The rest can speak for themselves.
Cork council could hike waste charges
Householders in Co Cork could face extra bin charges of up to €50 as Cork County Council approves plans to borrow over €100 million for the upgrade of waste disposal services.
Officials say the money is needed for projects like the proposed superdump at Bottlehill, the upgrading of landfill sites, and the extension of the pay-by-weight system to all householders next year.
Earlier, it was announced that a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency on a waste management license for the superdump would not be known until mid-June.
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