North Cork CLÁR funding slashed by 80% since 2018

FUNDING for North Cork rural development has been cut by 80 per cemt since last year, leading to claims that the region is being shortchanged following the boundary extension of Cork City earlier this year.

The annual allocation for 2019 under the CLÁR programme is €120,000, down from €600,000 in 2018, it was confirmed during the Kanturk/ Mallow Municipal Area meeting last week.

County Council official Mary Hayes said that a letter expressing dissatisfaction with the allocation had been sent to the department seeking clarifications.

“We’re not happy that North Cork has been treated proportionately in relation to its size,” she said.

Describing the North Cork funding allocation under CLÁR as a disgrace, Councillor Ian Doyle said it followed a similar snub last year in relation to LEADER funding.

“It’s something in which I can see a disadvantage in this whole merger situation,” he said, referring also the tourism video which had been released earlier that week but featured only one north Cork attraction.

“With this boundary commission we’re going to be left with Cork City and West Cork, and North Cork is going to be totally isolated.

“I predicted this from the start, and it started with LEADER funding, and it’s now gone to CLÁR funding.”

Councillor John Paul O’Shea expressed his concern at the cut in CLÁR funding also.

“We are a lot more rural county now because of the boundary extension,” he said.

“Yet we had 12 projects approved for funding last year bu only three this year.”