Proposal for 10% commercial rates hike in Westmeath
Westmeath County Council management has proposed a 10% increase in commercial rates in the county ahead of its annual budget meeting early next week.
If adopted by the 20 councillors, when they gather to discuss the 2026 budget on Monday, the measure would see the council's annual rates income rise by nearly €2 million to reach €20.52 million.
Before last year's budget meeting, the council executive had proposed an annual increase in rates of 3% per year for each of the following five years.
However, council members voted against that proposal last November, opting to leave commercial rates unchanged. There has been no increase in the commercial rates multiplier in the county since 2020.
Rates bills for businesses are calculated by applying the rates multiplier set by the council to the commercial rates valuation of each premises.
The proposed 10% increase in rates for Westmeath businesses in 2026 would see the general annual rate on valuation in the county rise from 0.194 to 0.2134.
The change is proposed in the council's draft budget, which is currently on display at council headquarters in Mullingar and was circulated to councillors last week.
The draft budget foresees an overall increase in the council's income of €12.2m (10.4%) in 2026, with its total income rising from €117.6m this year to €129.4m in the coming twelve months.
In his introduction to the budget, Westmeath County Council’s chief executive Barry Kehoe said the impact of inflation was continuing to be felt by the local authority.
“Since 2020, we have seen significant erosion in the real value of our income streams, while costs for energy, materials, and services have increased substantially,” Mr Kehoe stated.
“Budget 2026 addresses these pressures through continued focus on operational efficiency, strategic procurement, and investment in energy efficiency and new technologies.”
On the critical issue of housing, the council's draft budget says it’s “on track to deliver 213 new social housing units through various delivery streams” in 2025, with “a further 351 homes” currently under construction in the county.
“While this represents progress aligned with national objectives, we recognise that much more needs to be done to meet the housing needs of our citizens,” the draft budget document states.
Mr Kehoe writes that the national target of delivering 300,000 homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes, “provides clear direction” for local authorities.
“Westmeath County Council welcomes this policy and is committed to playing our full part in its implementation,” the top council official stated.
“We will work to meet our housing targets and, crucially, to work towards ending the use of emergency accommodation for families.”
He added that meeting the national housing delivery targets “will require sustained effort, appropriate resources, and ongoing support from central Government”.