This article is from page 34 of the 2009-09-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
THE ommission of homes from the Kilrush Town Council register is not just denying people of their right to vote in the local elections, it could also cost the town council thousands of euro in uncollected taxes, and in an extreme case could lead to calls for a re-election of the local author- ity.
According to Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) the incorrect omission of hous- es within the urban boundary from the register could lead to untold dif- ficulties if the issue is not tackled in the near future.
Woodfield estate, on the Kilimer Road, is an example of the Fianna Fail councillor’s claim. The estate is divided by a stream, with the houses to the north in the town council area, and the south in the jurisdiction of the county.
The newly built estate in Ballynote West is, according to Cllr Prendev-
ille, made up of approximately 150 houses. During the last election, less than a dozen of the houses – those facing the road – were included in the town council election.
‘“T am adamant that at least 50 per cent of that estate is lying within the urban area,” he said.
Cllr Prendeville said that between 60 and 70 houses should have been added to the urban register, many of which are second or investment houses. These investment houses would be subject to a second home’s taxes and the councillor calculates this could be worth up to €10,000 to the town council this year.
Cllr Prendeville believes the blame for the mix up lies with the town council.
“People who have local informa- tion were not contacted at the time. The first we knew about it was when we were canvassing for the local elections and people told us they did not have the vote.
“If anyone was to challenge the re- sults in the local election they could be sucessful if they proved people were denied their vote, and the elec- tion would have to be re-run,’ he added.
“Béal na Inbhir estate, on the Shanakyle road, has a number of houses within the urban area as well. Some get a vote, some do not. And
this could happen again if proposed planning for an estate on the Coora- clare Road goes through,” he added.
The Fianna Fail councillor said that the town boundary should be extend- ed to include all people living in the town area.
‘There needs to be a clear demar- cation of the town and county line,’ he said.