Mayo's Mary Robinson Centre will not require long-term council funding

THE future sustainability of the Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina has been clarified by a local councillor, who said it will stand on its own two feet, unsupported by the council, after three years.

It was among a number of matters raised as part of the local government auditor's report for Mayo County Council for the year ending December 2020.

Funding for the centre is €5.6 million and income sources include philanthropic and community group funding.

The auditor's report says it is important that all monies are received from these sources to ensure the project is adequately funded.

Commenting on the report, Councillor Peter Flynn said he has concerns not only on where the funding is going to come from, but how they were going to maintain it in the years ahead.

His understanding is the council's contribution was capped at €1.5 million, with the remainder to come from donations and philanthropic monies.

The councillor also questioned the Lough Lannagh swimming complex in Castlebar, saying it was costing the taxpayer significant money - double the cost of a centre in Westport.

He also queried items in the report relating to Irish Water.

Councillor Flynn requested that the report be discussed in detail at a special meeting that is taking place at the end of February and deal with items flagged by the auditor.

Ballina Councillor Mark Duffy, on the Mary Robinson Centre, said it had difficulties getting off the ground but was now at a very positive stage in its development.

It is a project for the whole county, and it looks set to be completed later this year.

As he understood it, after year three they plan to be standing on their own two feet and not supported by the council.

It was something they should be excited about as they lead into the 300th anniversary of Ballina. The return on investment for Mayo County Council will be more than adequate and pay itself back in the coming years.

Councillor John O'Hara agreed the centre will pay for itself down the road. People will come to it.

Projects had to be subsidised around the county to bring people in and he complimented the council for putting money into projects.

He also pointed out how the development of the centre has lifted the street 100%.

On projects generally, Councillor Michael Burke said he would have concerns about entering commitments that are costing the council and taxpayers a lot of money going forward. He didn't mind bridging the gap for a few years but the long-term viability of a project had to stand up.

He had no problem subsidising swimming pools and things like that, which are an important part of infrastructure, but there were other projects where they had to ask questions.

His south Mayo colleague Councillor Damien Ryan agreed projects should be developed on a sustainable basis.

Councillor Blackie Gavin said the best money ever spent in Castlebar was around Lough Lannagh. Over 5,000 people use the complex every week and during lockdown it was used by elite athletes.

The ambition is to turn Castlebar into a centre for sport, leisure and walking, and every euro invested was money well spent.

Councillor Gerry Coyle said there would be projects that don't make money but they have a social aspect and they have to look after them. There is a bigger picture that has to be looked at.

Director of finance Peter Duggan told members a clean audit report had been issued. The annual financial statement presented fairly the financial position of the council.

In doing the report, the auditor had raised a number of issues which were included in the report.

The report will be discussed again at a special meeting in February.