€5 Million funding gap puts Buncrana Leisure Centre project in doubt
Council must provide €5.02 million in match funding to unlock Government support for the long-awaited project.
Donegal County Council will need to provide more than €5 million in match funding if the long-awaited Buncrana Leisure Centre project is to move forward, according to Cllr Fionán Bradley.
The funding requirement has emerged following a debate at last week's meeting of Donegal County Council, where councillors discussed the future of leisure centre provision in Buncrana and across the county.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Bradley confirmed that under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), the Department of Sport would provide 70 per cent of the funding required for the project, with the remaining 30 per cent to be funded by the local authority.
"The Department will fund 70% and the Council 30%, which is €5.02 million," he said.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said the future of the project now rests largely on whether councillors are prepared to allocate the necessary funding through the council's budget process.
"It can be got, but the question is whether it will be got or not," he said.
"That is entirely within the gift of the councillors come Budget Day to adopt a budget that prioritises certain things and doesn't prioritise other things, and that is our responsibility.”
"We can't blame any Government or Minister around that. It's the councillors who have the power to adopt a budget that prioritises projects like Buncrana Leisure Centre."
The South Inishowen Councillor said the issue of match funding has become one of the biggest obstacles facing the project.
He noted that there is currently no funding in place to allow the council to draw down a Government grant should one become available and pointed out that the most recent council budget removed €10 million previously earmarked for match funding for capital projects.
“We’d have to turn around and say, thanks Minister, but no thanks. We don’t have our ducks in a row. We don’t have our match funding. We’re not ready to spend it.”
The comments follow a lively exchange in the council chamber between Cllr Bradley and Sinn Féin councillor Jack Murray.
The debate arose after Cllr Bradley brought forward a motion calling on Donegal County Council and Swim Ireland to prioritise Buncrana Leisure Centre in future funding applications. The motion was passed unanimously.
Addressing the meeting, Cllr Bradley said his motion was asking that “from this point on, both the council and Swim Ireland prioritise Buncrana, so that our pool can be reopened.
Cllr Bradley said there had been “much pontificating, but very little proactivity” in the years since Buncrana’s pool closed.
“Serious questions do need to be asked of the local authority in relation to the last 11 years.”
“Why did the council not step in at the time in 2015 when the pool closed and take it over?
“Why did the council not engage more with the Leisure Centre Committee and guide them through the process of winding down the co-op and the charity?”
Cllr Bradley criticised both Swim Ireland and Donegal County Council, saying Buncrana had been ranked last in the previous Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) application process.
“Up until now, in my opinion, the council, as well as Swim Ireland, has failed to prioritise Buncrana,” he said.
Sinn Féin Cllr Jack Murray proposed an amendment to Cllr Bradley's motion, saying he agreed that leisure centre provision should be a priority and that the council should write to Swim Ireland, but argued the motion “does not go far enough”.
“Nobody can credibly suggest that leisure centre provision has only now become a priority. It has been a priority and has been raised in this chamber repeatedly.
“The issue is not a lack of motions. It is not a lack of council support. It is not a lack of community demand. The issue is central government funding.”
His amendment sought to call on the Minister for Sport and the Government to provide the necessary capital funding to deliver vital recreational infrastructure as a matter of urgency.
Cllr Bradley did not accept the amendment, saying it was “factually inaccurate” to state that the council had already repeatedly prioritised leisure centre provision when Buncrana had been ranked last in the previous LSSIF process.