Back to black as council finances look up
NICE to see Sligo back in the black I was heartened recently to read that Sligo County Council could boast a € 2.1 million surplus last year. This followed on from an accumulated deficit of € 25 million. Although there were harsh times and a lot of corners had to be cut, it seems that the council has weathered the once blinding storm.
The council may be at its base level when it comes to staffing but it seems it is now about building itself back up again.
It is fitting that this news comes at springtime when life begins to bloom once more.
And like the weather it’s not time to put away our winter woollies yet, we are not quite there, but hope is on the horizon.
When I moved home to Sligo four years ago it was a different place. The recession was still hitting hard and my husband had to leave the county to find work as a civil engineer.
When news broke of the unprecedented judgement in relation to Lissadell House and that Sligo County Council was to be hit with all legal costs for the landmark case, the county felt a collective shudder. It seemed Sligo would be kept down in the doldrums for some time to come.
Although the legal bill, albeit not received by the council yet, still hangs over the county, this surplus shows the budding of a new Sligo which will thrive and flourish.
Brexit has seen the registration of 100,000 British businesses in Ireland and our close proximity to the north has us well placed to benefit from some of these.
We are a resilient county and with so much to offer, like the phoenix we are on the rise again. It is a place that people are eager to get back to, not get away from.
It is always great to be offered hope and I think that is what the county council have done.
Yes services have suffered to cut these costs but you have build upwards.