In the current climate this is exactly where people want government grants to go…

Following the dissolution in March 2016 of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority the city council claimed it was owed around €12 million from the Department of Housing.

The costs incurred are said to be related to maintenance of roads and other public spaces alongside pension liabilities.

Fast forward three years and at the end of 2019 councillors controversially voted in favour for the creation of a new white-water rafting facility at George’s Dock at the cost of an estimated €23 million.

For this project they were informed €13 million would come primarily from central government grants while €4m would come from council reserves and just under €5 million from development levies.

According to the Irish Times, council chief executive Owen Keegan had wrote a pitch to the Department of Housing for the facility.

The correspondence was made available under the terms of the Freedom of Information act and suggested the council would accept the additional costs that arose from the dissolution of the DDDA “in return for grant assistance” for the white-water rafting project.

It would seem that despite continued protests and outrage on social media the council are keen to plough through with their plan for the facility.