At the meeting of Wicklow County Council today (Tuesday), Councillors voted to increase the Local Property Tax (LPT) charge for 2022 by 6 per cent which will generate over €1m in additional funding for the Council.
This additional funding will be ring-fenced for discretionary use by the Elected Members of the five Municipal Districts to support local projects in these areas including footpath repairs, public realm initiatives and supporting local community organisations.
Bray Municipal District will receive €261,000 with the other four Districts – Wicklow, Arklow, Greystones and Baltinglass – each receiving €196,000.
Local Property Tax is an important funding source for local authorities and contributes towards the cost of providing a range of Council services, including libraries, public lighting, road maintenance, housing services, fire services, community grant scheme, littering and tourism development initiatives.
Projects previously supported through the Discretionary Fund include:
- Trooperstown to Laragh Footpath
- Ashford to M11 footpath
- Blackberry Glade, Arklow – Resurfacing of Junction
- Brook Meadow, Avoca – Footpaths & Tree Pruning
- Footpath extension to Carnew Primary Care Centre
- Upgrade Zebra Crossing in Dunlavin
- Bray Bandstand Refurbishment
- Public Lighting Upgrades in Bray
- Greystones Harbour Toilets Redevelopment
- Killincarrig Village Improvement Scheme
The full €1m generated from this very modest increase will remain entirely within the local district areas for allocation from their Discretionary Fund.