EXORBITANT ADMINISTRATION COSTS OF CRANMORE REGENERATION

IT WAS REVEALED in the Dail last week that Council expenditure on the administration of Sligo’s Cranmore Regeneration project has risen significantly.

United Left T.D. Joan Collins in a Parliamentary Question sought a breakdown of the expenditure of funding in respect of the Regeneration project including costs of professional services, salaries and consultants fees.

In response the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment Ms Jan O’Sullivan, provided a breakdown of the €1.38 million which was recouped to Sligo Borough Council in 2013 in respect of the Regeneration programme which revealed that 35% (€490,294) of the funding provided for the Regeneration Project was spent on salaries and administrative overheads in 2013.

The breakdown also reveals that a sum of €100,000 of regeneration funding was spent on the design of approach roads for the proposed new Eastern Bridge.

Speaking this week Cllr Declan Bree said that Council expenditure on the administration of the regeneration project was exorbitant and could not be justified.

“On the last occasion Deputy Collins sought information on funding for regeneration schemes it was discovered that a significant 17% of the funding provided for the Sligo regeneration scheme was spent on salaries, while in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown 1.5% was spent on salaries; in Tralee 1.5% was spent on salaries and in Waterford 4.5% was spent on salaries.

“Now we have this shocking revelation that 35% of the funding allocated for the regeneration of Cranmore last year was eaten up by salaries and administration.

“This funding is supposed to be for regeneration, for the refurbishment of housing stock, for community initiatives and the improvement of the estate, however here in Sligo one out of every three euro is being spent on salaries and administration.

“When the Minister for the Environment asked councils to use their own staff and resources to the fullest extent in terms of supervising regeneration schemes, he did so with the intention of reducing costs.  However the exorbitant costs in Sligo are inexplicable and clearly cannot be justified.” said Cllr Bree.

The breakdown of Regeneration expenditure last year is as follows: Master Planning €232,229; House acquisitions €40,600; Community Liaison Officer €29,514; Cleveragh Park Development project €49,648; Men’s Shed project €34,125; Eastern Bridge approach roads design €100,000; Administrative Overheads €490,294; Social and Community Initiatives €234,334; Minor Sundry Works €95,062; Improvement Works Programme €73,413.  Total €1,379,219.