By Meath Live reporter Paul Murphy
The steady improvements in the financial situation of Meath County Council over a number of years were outlined today when the finance officer Fiona Lawless delivered her last summary of the council’s accounts as she approaches retirement from the organisation. She told councillors that in 2025 the income recorded was €250 million. with a nett surplus of €158,000. Putting that in context she said that 2021 was the first year they had recorded a cumulative surplus. The council had recorded up to that point.
“We had quite a significant financial history so when you look at this we are now in 2025 with a surplus of €723 million. When I started here in 2002 the budget for Meath County Council was only €68 million. It’s now nearly a quarter of a billion. That first year we made a loss which represented almost 4pc of our revenue”.
She said she wanted councillors, especially newer councillors, to realise the journey that had been taken over the last number of years . There had been hard decisions made and hard work done by the council. The official outlined where the council’s finance came from – grants and subsidies €99m, rates €57m, goods and services €58m and other finances €15.9m. Rates accounted for 23pc of the council’s income in 2025 – rates were the “lifeline of the local authority”.
On the expenditure side the council had spent €30m (30pc) on payroll, operational costs €136m (58pc of costs), administration €7.5m (administration, communications, training, contributions to other bodies), miscellaneous services €19m. Referring to collection rates Ms Lawless said that the council was now at 98 per cent on commercial rates – a better collection rate than the Revenue Commissioners. This went to show the amount of work carried out by the staff in the rates department of the council, she said.
Over the last number of years Meath County Council had given out more loans than any other local authority in the country. There was now a cumulative surplus in the council of €723m. They had fixed assets of €3.3 billion.
Fine Gael Cllr Gerry O’Connor thanked the finance officer for “that very impressive set of accounts”. He had no problem proposing the adoption of the accounts. Independent Cllr Brian Fitzgerald complimented the finance officer and her staff for bringing the council’s finances into the position they were in today. He said “old fellow like me” can remember the time when councillors would be in the chamber at 2am fighting over how much they were going to put on the rates and refuse charges. “It was always going to be in the red no matter what we did”.
The figures presented for 2025 were something the executive and councillors should be proud of. Independent Cllr Nick Killian congratulated the financial team of the council. He wished Ms Lawless well in what would be her last financial statement before her pending retirement. What had happened with the finances took leadership and courage, he said.
Fine Gael Cllr Joe Fox said that Ms Lawless had done a “fantastic job over the last 25 years”. Aontú Cllr Dave Boyne if there were any plans for the surplus, He hoped that projects around Ballivor and Kildalkey would be taken into account when the money was being spent.
Social Democrat Cllr Ronan Moore said he hoped people would realise how important it was, not only to have a balanced budget, but a prudent one. To go into the future with such a heft surplus was something the finance staff should be congratulated on.
Fine Gael Cllr Eugene Cassidy said that it was no so long ago that the council was up to €12m in debt. “There was money for nothing like footpaths in private or council estates – it was a question of trying to keep the ship afloat. Hard decisions had to be made at the time and we are reaping the awards of it now”.
There were contributions also from Cllrs Alan Tobin, Sean Drew (“you brought us from the red into the black”), Maria White, Emer Toibin, Joe Bonner. Chief Executive Kieran Kehoe said the importance of the budgetary process should not be underestimated. The council was in a strong position financially but that didn’t happen by accident. “When you look at our collection rates, we are the best in the country”. He congratulated the finance officer and the overall management team. What should not be underestimated was the €70m in payroll and €130m that went into the local economy from the council – that was a phenomenal contribution.
L to R: Information Services Project Leader at Meath County Council (MCC) Liz Quinn, Chief Executive of MCC Kieran Kehoe, Deputy Chief Executive of MCC and Director of Services Fiona Lawless, An Cathaoirleach of MCC Cllr Wayne Harding, Head of Information Systems in MCC Simon McCabe, Broadband Officer at MCC Cormac McCann at a recent event.
