Councillors have voted in favour of next year's Budget this evening.
Waterford City and County Council faces a deficit for 2021 but has received a rebate worth 9.7 million euro from Government due to Covid-19.
It means the budget passed with near-unanimous support from all parties and independents.
Chief Executive Michael Walsh says he had been worried about services getting hit hard before the government support, but he told councillors over Zoom that he was no longer fearful.
Fianna Fáil's Eamon Quinlan said he was "proud" that councillors were able to pass a Budget without passing hardship onto local services, while party colleague Cllr Jason Murphy said the figures mean Waterford Council has drawn down the most amount of money under the Governments Stimulus Programme than any other Council in the country outside Dublin "And not per population, straight up Euros and cents."
The budget received support from the opposition, with Sinn Féin councillor Conor McGuinness welcoming increases in housing maintenance and mobility grants as well as other supports: "In spite of the very serious economic and financial side effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, we believe that this budget protects public services, and in a number of areas it actually increases the level of service."
Cllr Joe Kelly (Independent) described it as the "most progressive budget" he has seen in almost 20 years.
A rundown of some of the figures from the Budget is below:
- €3.9 million euro additional funding for the Roads Programme
- additional €320,000 for Housing Maintenance
- €120,000 provided for Mobility Aids Grant
- further €200,000 committed for Community Services & Footpath Repairs in social housing estates
- €190,000 increase in Conservation Grants
- €800,000 to be committed annually to an overall Footpath Repair Programme
