Madam, – There was an extraordinary gap between the nonsensical figures produced by the so-called Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in relation to local government financing on page 6 of your edition of March 2nd and the realities as outlined in the Editorial on page 19.

The truth is that central government decided to remove the domestic rates that previously generated the bulk of councils’ funding with a promise to supply the funds forgone.

In 2004, according to an official reply from the Dublin City Manager to a question I submitted, the domestic rates intake would have been €187.166 million. In addition to this, the Government-negotiated benchmarking cost the City Council a total of €78.2million and the refusal by the same Government to pay commercial rates on Government properties cost the city a further €27 million.

By contrast, the contribution to the Local Government Fund from the Department of Environment for 2006 amounted to €92 million.

At the very least this suggests a shortfall of €200 million to one local authority alone. Congratulations to The Irish Times on an accurate and balanced Editorial – and shame again on a discredited Minister and Department. – Yours, etc,

Cllr Dermot Lacey

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