Sligo county council is to hold a special meeting tomorrow for an appraisal of its serious financial deficit.

According to Independent Sligo borough councillor Declan Bree the authority is losing 7,000 euro a day, seven days a week, for some time now and that was before the cut in central government funding to the local authority in proportion to the county’s compliance with the household charge.

Consultants Grant Thornton has been employed to assist in finding a solution to the overspend. Councillor Bree told Midwest News that he believes that due to the narrow terms of reference given to the consultants, it will now recommend merging Sligo Borough council with the local authority. He insists it’s not the answer and instead asks how council management can be left unchanged in light of the deteriorating financial situation.

The authority is seeking to make 42 workers redundant to tackle the crisis. The leaked consultants report says the authority needs a voluntary redundancy scheme to persuade 42 of its 409 remaining staff to leave.

However, it will need the government’s permission to do this, because the jobs are protected under the Croke Park agreement.