The water charges on the horizon have divided members of Fermoy Town Council, with some saying that they should not be introduced as they will place another financial burden on householders, while others say that contributions are necessary to offset the tremendous cost of supplying treated water.

Speaking at a meeting of Fermoy Town Council, Cllr Noel McCarthy who was also speaking on behalf of Cllr Tadhg O’Donovan, welcomed the suspension of domestic water charges, but he added that the charges should be abolished altogether.

On Wednesday it was announced that Taoiseach Enda Kenny was to approach the Troika to see if water charges can be deferred until January 2015, when the first three monthly bill will hit householders. The original date for water charges was 2014, but it emerged that meters would not be installed in time to implement this timeline.

Cllr Seamus Coleman added that he doesn’t believe the charges should be brought in and he argued that water is costing the Government so much ‘only because there is so much waste’.

“40% of Local Authority water is seeping through the pipes,” he said.

However, Cllr Pa O’Driscoll stated that he is in favour of water charges, arguing that it is very expensive to deliver treated water as a product and that people need to contribute towards that high cost.

He pointed out that there will be an allowance based on family size. He also pointed out that to upgrade the infrastructure in County Cork alone would cost in the region of €1 billion, so it is not feasible for every county to upgrade their systems without some sort of revenue from water. 

“There is only one way to pay for that – if there is a reduction in water use, it will take pressure off the system and this will decrease consumption and therefore cost. There will be more money available to repair infrastructures then. If you use it, you should pay for it,” Cllr O’Driscoll said.