There are rural communities in Mayo talking about getting together and refusing to pay their Local Property Tax (LPT) because they fail to see what they are getting for their money. That’s according to Westport based Independent councillor Christy Hyland.

He raised the issue at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, where a number of councillors claimed people on the door step, particularly in rural areas, believe they are getting nothing back for the LPT paid into Mayo County Council.

Councillor Hyland says the model of local government needs to be reviewed in an effort to allow more local control of budgets and services. He believes local boroughs need to be established to effectively provide local democracy.

A recent EU survey on the effectiveness of Local government indicated that Ireland rates low in terms of how it is serving local populations.

Cllr Hyland spoke to Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley about his concerns...