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‘DIVISIVE’ OR A GREAT WAY TO SECURE VILLAGE FUNDS?
A BID by Cllr Sharon Tolan to seek Town and Village Renewal Scheme funding for the likes of Mornington and Donacarney sparked anguish amongst fellow councillors in the Laytown/Bettystown area, who said it would be a ‘divisive’ move.
Cllr Tolan said she was ‘stunned’ by the reaction to her motion, stating, ‘ there was no malice in it.’
She raised the matter at a recent meeting, explaining that she wasn’t looking to ‘divide communities’ but was trying to source funding for projects locally from the scheme.
At a previous council meeting, it was revealed that the Donacarney/ Mornington/Laytown and Bettystown area does not qualify for Town and Village Renewal money because the area was deemed a ‘ town’ in the last census, having over 11,000 residents.
But the councillor felt that wasn’t fair and wanted to explore the idea of applying for funding on an individual basis, in respect of the scheme only.
Cllr Tom Kelly said it would be a case of dividing Laytown and Bettystown Municipal District into ‘four different village areas’ and he disagreed with it.
‘ They are geling well and we have an education campus and looking for a library and community facilities,’ he stated. He said dividing the area would ‘create issues between areas over funding’.
Director of Services Fiona Lawless said that due to the ‘ town’ status with the census, the council couldn’t apply for funding from the Town and Village scheme for these areas. But it was indicated that if the locations applied individually, it could be considered. ‘ The town stays the same, this is only for town and village funding,’ she explained.
‘We can’t be a village one day and a town the next,’ Cathaoirleach Paddy Meade remarked.
‘I felt it was a divisive motion,’ Cllr Sharon Keogan added. She said the area didn’t have a Chamber of Commerce and an economic plan was needed.