A clear and ambitious vision for investment in services is proposed in the Galway City Council Budget Book 2026 - with additional funding targeting housing delivery; street cleaning; Galway City Museum redevelopment; homeless supports; maintenance of community facilities; footpaths; grant schemes; planting and maintenance crews; a new disability access officer; alongside measures to strengthen tourism and economic delivery.
The proposed Budget Book will be presented for adoption at the Galway City Council Budget AGM on Monday 17 November 2025.
Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive, Galway City Council said, “The Elected Members and Senior Management are engaged in on-going, targeted discussions to deliver comprehensive service delivery in 2026. The Budget Book adopts a ‘back to basics’ approach - focusing on essential services residents rely on every day, from footpath repairs and well-maintained roads and public spaces, to new housing and local amenities. With the backing of the Elected Members, the Budget will strengthen core operations while ensuring value for money and an improved quality of life across the city.”
Key delivery areas for Budget 2026 include:
- Housing and Urban Development: Delivering new housing, and maintaining existing housing stock; addressing dereliction; local area plans for Ardaun, Murrough and Castlegar; and enhancing supports for people experiencing homelessness
- Public services and community infrastructure: increased street cleaning and maintenance to improve customer experience and support the drive for Galway City to build on the Gold Medal in the 2025 National Tidy Towns Awards with an overall win; maintaining community facilities; grant schemes; footpath repairs; retrofit of public buildings; public lighting; market area refurbishment; delivering Green Spaces Strategy; museum redevelopment; and appointment of a Disability Access Officer
- Sports and recreation – Continue progression of Masterplans for sports and recreation; pitch and park maintenance; higher sports grants; and city-wide local improvement schemes.
- Economic and Financial Initiatives: Delivering economic development and tourism strategies; expansion of Shopfront Enhancement scheme; investing in a new Retail Plan for Galway; payment incentive scheme for ratepayers; and investment in festivals and events.
- Workforce and organisation redevelopment: Increased digitisation of services and processes
Funding Measures
As part of the adoption of Budget 2026, Elected Members will consider income sources to address a shortfall in proposed service delivery, including a recommendation to adjust the Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV) to 0.26, with a payment incentive scheme of 5% for rate payers under €30,000 also proposed. An important fact is that 93% of Rate-Payers pay less than €30,000 - many of whom have requested, and are ear-marked to benefit, from this requested payment incentive scheme of 5%.
In 2025, Elected Members took a significant decision to increase ARV in Galway City, to bring it more in line with the rest of the country - going from 0.217 to 0.23.
Whilst a welcome uplift, the increase still lags behind the country average - substantially below ARV rates in the cities of Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.
Members will also consider a marginal increase in parking charges to bring them closer to the charges applied by commercial operators in the city. The increased rates are €2.50 per hour, with long term car parks at Dyke Road and Cathedral Car Parks charging a daily rate of €12.50 and monthly rate of €130.
