Hike in LPT funding to councils will mean €1.5m for county

A €75.4 million increase in Local Property Tax (LPT) baseline funding to local authorities announced on Wednesday last is to bring a funding boost of €1.5 million to Westmeath County Council for 2024.

Every local authority receives a minimum (‘baseline’) amount of funding from the LPT, supplemented by funding from the exchequer where a local authority’s LPT income is lower than its baseline.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, announced the increase in baseline funding following a review of how the money is allocated.

For Westmeath, the change will mean an increase from the €11,205,507 allocated this year to €12,705,507.

Minister O’Brien TD, said: “Local authorities play an integral role in the delivery of services to our citizens. I am aware of the growing challenges faced by local authorities due to the increase in demand for services and the growing cost of providing these.

“This significant increase in funding should go a long way towards easing the pressure on the sector.

“Since 2020 I have been committed to a review of the baseline funding of local authorities and I established a working group earlier this year to examine the issue.

"I am pleased to announce that [Wednesday’s] funding has been guided by the review that has taken place and the recommendations of the working group.”