Trump’s tariffs spark concern in Longford as officials warn of ‘financial challenges’
Longford County Council Finance Director John McKeon has outlined a number of factors that could affect the local authority’s budget moving forward
US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have been mentioned as one of the many ‘financial challenges’ facing Longford County Council.
At the October meeting of the Granard Municipal District, Finance Director John McKeon outlined a number of factors that could affect the local authority’s budget moving forward.
Among them were global concerns such as tariffs, climate change and immigration.
A number of national and local factors were also mentioned, including the housing and cost of living crises.
Mr McKeon was speaking during a presentation on the Granard Municipal District’s general municipal allocations for 2026.
He told members that the municipal district has been allocated €120,000 as part of next year’s budget, an increase of €10,000 on this year.
Some €50,000 of this will go to voluntary bodies in the district, whilst Tidy Towns and development committees will receive a total of €16,000 in funding.
Meanwhile, €35,000 has been allocated to ‘special projects’, whilst €10,000 will go towards town twinning.
The budget was formally proposed by Fine Gael councillor Garry Murtagh, who said he “couldn’t be happier” with the allocations.
It was seconded by his party colleague, Cllr Pádraig McNamara, who thanked Mr McKeon for an “excellent presentation” and “a job well done”.
These sentiments were shared by the other councillors present, namely Cllr Colin Dalton (FG) and Cllr David Cassidy (FF).
Finally, the Cathaoirleach, Independent councillor Turlough McGovern, said that “things were looking good” in the Granard area, despite the financial challenges that lie ahead.
Longford County Council will receive applications for funding under these allocations up until April 2026.
Councillors will agree to allocate money to specific groups at the municipal district’s May meeting.
Successful groups can then expect to receive the funding in June 2026.