This article is from page 6 of the 2014-05-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
TAOISEACH and Fine Gael Party leader Enda Kenny said this week that Fine Gael would not increase the Local Property Tax if elected to local government.
In a whistle-stop visit to the Banner County just a week after polls indicate a swing towards independent candidates and people’s dissatis- faction with the introduction of the LPT, Mr Kenny admitted that being in Government was not an easy position.
But as the Mayo man kissed babies, high fived teenagers and shook hands with pensioners it quickly became apparent that he was not about to run into the hostility he was met with an hour earlier in Limerick.
Instead, supported by the party faithful, a two person anti-abortion protest outside the Temple Gate all but went unnoticed, while the mother of a disabled child who lost her medical card had her say in a peaceful manner.
Among those waiting to meet the leader of the country was Noel O’Driscoll, originally from O’Callaghans Mills, whose late father became secretary of the local Fine Gael branch in 1922 and was there until he died 56 years later.
Mr O’Driscoll showed the Taoiseach an original Land League membership card owned by his great grandfather.
Flanked by MEP Sean Kelly, local election candidates and the county’s two Fine Gael TDs – Pat Breen and Joe Carey – Mr Kenny was remaining coy on how he believes his 16 local election candidates will fare in Clare come May 23.
“Far be for it me to guess what the good people of Clare are going to do when they go to the polls but I will say this for our party we offer a very strong team of candidates.”
“Whoever the people elect for the county council elections they need to understand that these candidates and these councillors are being given responsibility that has never been handed out before to councillors. They are going to have to make decisions about the expenditure for property charges. The Fine Gael candidates will not be voting to increase them, they will be reducing them where possible. They will have to make decisions about rates and about property charges and development plans for their own areas,” he added.
“It is not about electing people to sound off at council meetings. It is a case of electing people to make decisions, the authority being displaced down to the councils.”