Athy councillors vote against increase to pay parking charges in town
Edmund Rice Square, Athy
ATHY councillors have voted against a proposal to increase pay parking in the town, with concerns raised about cost-of-living pressures and the absence of a full parking by-law review.
At October’s meeting of Athy municipal district, the council executive included an item on the meeting agenda proposing that the council consider amendments to the parking tariff rate charges for Athy.
After the elected members and district manager Alan Dunney discussed the matter, a vote was held among the four councillors present (cllr Veralouise Behan was absent from the meeting).
Cllrs Aoife Breslin, Brian Dooley and Mark Leigh voted against the proposal, while cllr Ivan Keatley abstained. There were no votes in favour.
The has not yet obtained records outlining the exact amendments under consideration. However, comments made during the discussion indicated councillors considered possible tariff rates of €1.20 and €1.60, alongside retaining the current 80c charge.
Cllr Breslin outlined her opposition to an increase, citing the lack of footfall and business activity in the town, as well as the lack of a review of parking by-laws.
She also said it was the wrong time of year to consider such an increase, with other costs such as fuel set to rise over the winter months.
Cllr Keatley expressed his understanding that Athy needs to be brought in line with other Kildare towns with regards to parking tariffs. He outlined his wish that a full review be carried out of the town’s parking by-laws rather than a review of tariffs in isolation.
Cllr Keatley said that “various pressures on LPT (local property tax)” in the municipal district will mean an increased reliance on pay parking revenue.
Athy councillors have recently sought government intervention over a new allocation model which is set to reduce the district’s share of LPT funding.
The municipal district’s total discretionary budget for 2026 is €3,799,736. Of this amount, €918,013 is funded through LPT. The remaining funding is made up of €48,357 from pay parking surplus income, with the balance provided through central funding from the council.
The council’s finance director Eileen Hanlon said later in the meeting while discussing the municipal district’s draft budget for 2027, that LPT would make up €741,000 of the district’s annual budget, representing a reduction of €177,013 from 2026.
She said that a pay parking increase is essential.
