A ROW HAS broken out in Kildare over plans to buy a new chain of office for the Cathaoirleach of Leixlip-Clebridge Municipal District.

The district was formed last year after the abolition of town councils and operates as part of Kildare County Council. The council itself has a mayor, who has a chain of office, but the new municipal district doesn’t yet have one.

Last Friday, it was suggested that the district purchase a new chain. Although no price was put on the purchase, a similar chain cost South Kerry around €5,000 last year.

The chain of office that had been used by the now-disbanded Leixlip Town Council has been in storage and will be used by Naas Municipal District after being altered at a cost believed to be around €400.

Independent councillor Bernard Caldwell had suggested using part of the Leixlip- Celbridge Local Property Tax allocation of €333,000 to purchase the chain, something his Sinn Féin colleague Ide Cussen told TheJournal.ie is “totally unnecessary”.

“We don’t have to get a chain of office. You can have a badge or a name tag.”

Cussen said that if the chain was to be bought, it should come out of the Cathaoirleach’s €12,000 allowance. She says that this idea has been rejected.

Nobody [who supports the idea] knows how much these things cost, but there’s no such thing as “only a couple of thousand euro”.

“I’m not in the business of buying big gold chains.”

She says that she reacted angrily to the suggestion.

“I went through the roof. I made a big gasp. I’m outraged at the idea that someone would suggest using a tax a lot of people were against on a chain.

It’s like Lord Farqhuar from Shrek, walking around with a big chain on. The Local Property Tax shouldn’t be used to buy bling for anyone.

Aesthetics

However, Caldwell told TheJournal.ie that the chain was a symbol that helped represent the area.

The chain is used for a lot of functions and a lot of other districts are getting them.

We have to look good. There’s no point showing up to meet dignitaries looking run down. We’re not a run down country.

Caldwell said that despite his suggestion to take the money from the LPT fund, he is not averse to the chain being sponsored.

“I suggested we take it from the LPT, but we’re not squandering money.

“We have a lot of dignitaries come in here to Leixlip, so it’s value for money.”

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