Real News Nibbles from Around the Country

North Tipp

A significant surge in payment of the €100 Household Charge in North Tipperary in recent weeks has resulted in the lifting of a Government threat to further slash funding for local government services in the county.

During the summer Environment Minister Phil Hogan, noting that just over half of North Tipperary householders had paid the charge, threatened to cut the County Council’s Local Government Fund of €14.5 million by €1.5 million. Such a cut would have resulted in major cuts in local government services across the county.

But over the past six weeks or so a surge in payments saw a further 8 per cent of householders pay the charge, thereby removing the threat of the swinging cuts being imposed.

Two out of three householders in North Tipperary have now paid the new €100 charge

Via Nenagh Guardian

By God how they all tremble when the hear Hogan’s bark

Offaly

We learn from the Offaly express that 7,041 non-Irish nationals were living in Offaly at the time of the Census, accounting for 9.2% of the population of the county.

According to figures released by the Central Statistics Office, of the non-Irish nationals resident in the county, 1,865 were UK nationals – the largest non-Irish nationality in the county, followed by Polish nationals with 1,566 persons.

To be consigned to living in the bogs of Offaly these people must have suffered desperate deprivation elsewhere

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Waterford

From the Munster express we observe

The Munster Express has learned from reliable sources that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr Phil Hogan, TD, is likely to announce this week that Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council will definitely be merged and that the headquarters of the new body will be in the county, not the city.

While such a move has been opposed by many politicians from both local authorities, it will be a particularly bitter pill for Waterford city to swallow.

It looks like cheerio to Waterford city Council oh well maybe a few less people claiming expenses

Wexford

From the Gorey Guardian we lean

WE’RE sitting on a goldmine. Literally. Prospectors have struck gold in North Wexford, and say the samples taken to date have the potential to yield hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gold and other precious metals.

‘It was very exciting,’ said Liam McGrattan, who works in Investor Relations with the IMC Exploration Group plc.

‘ This is a pretty big strike. I’d compare it to the oil strike off the coast of Cork recently,’ said Liam.

‘If we got two big strikes we could get rid of the IMF and the ECB out of the country,’ he joked. He said the operation would require an underground mine, meaning a huge jobs boost for the local community.

Well now Liam good news indeed but I see you work in investor relations. A profession well known for kite flying