Where is Mount Congreve's money going?
One of the redeveloped gate lodges at Mount Congreve.
Issues around funding for Mount Congreve came up once again at a recent Waterford City and County Council meeting.
Now, Mount Congreve has asked Waterford City and County Council to under write Mount Congreve's overdraft for the next three years.
According to Sean McKeown, CEO of Waterford Council, Mount Congreve won’t get an overdraft from the bank unless the Council underwrites it.
Mount Congreve also requested an advance on next year’s subvention of up to €150,000.
Mount Congreve has already received large sums of money from Waterford City and County Council.
According to the council: "Mount Congreve Gardens was officially reopened to the public in March 2023, following a €7.2 million capital investment from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF), Waterford City and County Council and Fáilte Ireland.
"A further development took place in 2024 with the redevelopment of two gate lodges and the installation of forest cabins for visitor accommodation. This was funded by a €1 million grant from Waterford City and County Council."
It is understood that this project went over budget.
"In September 2024, Waterford City and County Council approved a loan of €750,000 to Mount Congreve. A further loan of €200,000 was approved in December 2024.
"Waterford City and County Council provided an annual subvention of €100,000 to Mount Congreve in 2024 and €300,000 in 2025."
This puts the amount of money Waterford City and County Council has spent on Mount Congreve at well above €2.3 million.
Council Executive Seán McKeown said: “Mount Congreve is facing cash-flow issues.”
The Office of Public Works (OPW) have delayed giving Mount Congreve its funding.
It is understood that this is because Mount Congreve is unable to produce their accounts.
It is also understood that several councillors' requests to see how Mount Congreve is spending its money have gone unanswered.
When Waterford News & Star asked one councillor how Mount Congreve was spending its money, they replied, “That’s the 64 million dollar question.”
Mr McKeown said that one of the reasons for the financial problems was that accommodation units have been delayed.
This “seriously impacted on their revenue stream”.
However, it is understood that 25% of people who booked available accommodation at Mount Congreve later cancelled the booking.
Although all of the councillors voted to provide the funding, they had plenty to say about the issue.
Cllr. Joanne Bailey told the News & Star: “We are in support of Mount Congreve but it is hard to support long-term.”
Cllr. Bailey proposed an amendment to change the time frame of under writing the overdraft from three years to just one year. Cllr. Damien Geoghegan supported this suggestion.
Cllr. John Hearne said he thinks the people of Waterford should get free access to all museums and gardens, “they should get something in return for all they put into it”.
“It would be a recognition of the sacrifice that they’re making.”
Cllr Pat Fitzgerald echoed Cllr. Hearne’s comments saying, “It’s really the taxpayer in Waterford who’s providing the cash here. There should be something for the public, whether it’s a free day or an afternoon.”
Cllr. Jim Griffin suggested that Mount Congreve should listen to suggestions made by councillors.
He said, “We hear on the ground why people will go.”
He mentioned that campervan and boat-docking facilities would increase foot traffic in the gardens.
He went on to say: “We all want to see Mount Congreve a success, but they have to hold their hand up and say that if it's not working with their business plan, then they need to listen to us for a new business plan.”
Cllr. David Daniels said: “We’ve got to stop hiding behind the seasonal argument. There’s a lot of businesses that are seasonal.
“I think the Council has done its part. We’re not a heritage trust. I’d like to see the Council give the OPW Mount Congreve because it should be nationally funded.”
Cllr. Donal Barry echoed Cllr. Daniels comments saying: “Mount Congreve is a national attraction. We need national support.”
Mayor Seamus Ryan put a positive spin on things, saying, “As a local authority, I think we should be supporting local gardens, museums and libraries. Otherwise, we become a local authority that just fixes potholes. We’re bigger than that, we’re more important than that.”
In the end, Cllr Bailey’s amendment to under write the overdraft for just one year did not pass.
The Council agreed to all of Mount Congreve’s requests.
However, questions still hung in the air around Mount Congreve’s future.
Mount Congreve were reached for comment, but had not responded at the time of going to print.
