Paul McAuliffe
Question:1138. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount paid to tidy towns groups from her Department in each of the years 2018 to 2020. [10271/21]
View answerWednesday, 24 February 2021
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The TidyTowns competition was originally launched over 60 years ago. Since its inception, the competition has grown from 52 entries in 1958, to a record 924 entries in 2019. The longevity and continued success of the competition is testament to the time and effort put in by TidyTowns Committees the length and breadth of the country.
To mark the 60th anniversary of the competition, grant funding of €1.4 million was made available to TidyTowns Committees for each of the years 2017 and 2018. Funding of €1.4 million was again made available in 2019.
This funding has allowed the Committees to better prepare for the annual competition through the purchase or upgrade of small equipment and other materials.
Under the 2017 allocation, 906 TidyTowns Committees received grant funding of between €1,000 and €4,000 each, depending on the size of their town or village. 858 TidyTowns Committees availed of the funding in 2018, and 877 TidyTowns Committees availed of funding in 2019.
Last December, I announced funding of €1 million to help TidyTowns groups to prepare for the 2021 SuperValu TidyTowns competition. This allocation will provide up to €1,000 for every eligible TidyTowns group in the country. The funding is being provided as a top-up to the €1.4 million allocated to the groups in 2019.
All of the eligible TidyTowns groups have been contacted with details of how to apply for the extra funding and the closing date for receipt of completed application forms is 28th February 2021.