Councillors reject draft GMA allocation citing ‘unfair’ share for north Mayo
Ballina Municipal District councillors have voted to reject the draft General Municipal Allocation (GMA) for 2026, insisting the district continues to receive an unfairly low share of council funding despite hosting hundreds of wind turbines and dealing with major upkeep demands at the county’s largest cemetery.
At today’s special municipal district meeting, leas cathaoirleach Councillor Annie May Reape chaired the discussion on Mayo County Council’s draft figures, which form part of the wider €213 million council budget due before the full chamber later this month.
Head of the Municipal District, Declan Turnbull, outlined that Ballina’s proposed GMA remains at €420,000, unchanged from last year, equating to around €70,000 per councillor.
He stressed that the figures must be considered at the Municipal District level before returning to the full budget meeting “to either adopt them or not.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Loftus led the opposition to the draft plan, arguing that the current €2.1 million GMA pot for their municipal district is “too small” and that Ballina’s share should be increased to €3 million to properly meet local demands.
“We get very little in comparison to other MDs,” he said. “Take Leigue Cemetery as one example — this should be funded from the central budget. Instead, we’re being asked for top-ups. It works out at €72,000 per councillor and it needs to be increased. I’ll be rejecting it.”
Councillor Loftus also highlighted that north Mayo is set to host approximately 500 wind turbines, generating what he claims will be around €15 million in commercial rates income.
“We’re getting €30,000 per turbine. Add it up, that will be €15 million in rates from turbines alone and we get no benefit. We need a fair share and more money for north Mayo.”
Fine Gael Councillor John O’Hara seconded the proposal to reject the allocation, agreeing that Leigue Cemetery should be funded from the council’s central budget and not drained from Ballina’s limited funds.
“We all want more and we do need more,” he said. “There’s a lot of work being done in the graveyard and we can’t afford to give more from our GMA. We need more coming from Castlebar.”
Councillor Reape also supported the stance, saying Ballina’s six councillors are at a disadvantage compared to other districts.
“We are doing well on departmental funding, but I am in agreement to reject it (the draft proposal) as it is today.”
Decland Turnbull confirmed the formal proposal and seconder for the record, adding that the full council budget meeting will provide councillors with the opportunity to push for additional funding.