Local Authority Finances

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 November 2015

Thursday, 12 November 2015

Ceisteanna (193)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

193. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a local authority draft budget can be deemed to have been duly considered in accordance with the Local Government Act 2001 and the Local Government Reform Act 2014, if the process for adopting it has prevented any motions tabled by elected members seeking to amend it from being considered​​ by them; if he considers such a process to clearly lack democratic legitimacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39867/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Local Government Act 2001, as amended by the Local Government Reform Act 2014, provides the legislative basis for the local authority budget process. Section 103 of the 2001 Act provides for the Local Authority budget meeting and states that a local authority may amend the draft budget by resolution, and may adopt the budget with or without amendment. It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority. Local authorities are required to adopt budgets which are sufficient to meet the expenditure arising in the year in accordance with the terms of section 10A of the City and County Management Act 1955, as inserted in that Act by section 113 of the Local Government Act 2001.