No help from council for Kildare businesses left without water
‘Businesses are being forced to close due to successive water outages by Uisce Éireann’
No financial assistance will be forthcoming from Kildare County Council for businesses hit by repeated water outages.
It’s passed the buck to Uisce Éireann.
KCC was responding to a motion by Cllr Paula Mulroe for a “business relief scheme” which would provide a proportional rebate or a credit against the commercial rates that the businesses pay to KCC.
Cllr Mulroe said the scheme should be set up when the rates are established for 2027and it should apply to businesses “forced to close due to successive water outages by Uisce Éireann.”
Cllr Mulroe also said registered childcare and elderly care facilities should be included where they have additional operational costs as a result of water being cut off in situations where they are unable to close.
Cllr Mulroe said this measure would “recognise that the repeated and ongoing nature of these Uisce Éireann enforced outages have moved beyond the threshold of an occasional inconvenience" and the outages are a “systemic and foreseeable disruption to commerce and care provision in County Kildare.”
But KCC said it has no role in the operation, maintenance or provision of water services.
This, a KCC meeting was told, is the responsibility of Uisce Éireann and there is no
crossover with Kildare County Council.
“Uisce Éireann operate a system of water charges for businesses where Uisce Éireann charge for the supply of water and the treatment of wastewater to fund the operation, maintenance and provision of water services. Uisce Éireann also receive very significant funding from central government.”
KCC says it's up to UÉ to credit or compensate businesses for poor service and business disruption.
It also noted that commercial rates fund the services provided by KCC such as road repairs and maintenance, public lighting, traffic management, provision and maintenance of open spaces, parks, playgrounds, community centres.
Cllr Mulroe replied that there were 14 outages in 44 days in a local area adding “it’s approaching critical level.”
She added some outages took place on the hottest day of the year by the end of May.
Cllr Chris Pender said UÉ “has to be made to listen“ to complaints that are aired.
He told of an argument he had with UÉ “not to turn off the water on the warmest day of the year” adding that “I shouldn't have had to.”