Annual Budget & Finance

DLR Adopts €313.6m Expansionary Budget for 2026

25 November 2025
dlr County
General News
annual budget cover 2026

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is pleased to announce that elected members have adopted a balanced draft Budget for 2026, allocating €313.6 million to deliver a wide range of supports and services for residents, businesses, and visitors. This represents a 12% increase on the current year’s budget and reflects the Council’s commitment to building an inclusive, sustainable, and accessible county underpinned by a strong economy. The Council’s Strategic Workforce Plan reviewed this year following the adoption of the Corporate Plan 2024–2029, has supported growth to 1,309 staff—an increase of 56 this year—and enabled significant improvements in service delivery.

 

Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said:

“The adoption of this €313.6 million expansionary budget demonstrates our commitment to investing in the future of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. With a 12% increase on last year’s budget, we are prioritising housing, climate action, infrastructure, and community development to ensure our county remains inclusive, sustainable, and economically strong. This budget also supports cultural initiatives, libraries, and tourism strategies, while our Strategic Workforce Plan enables us to deliver enhanced services, including seven-day-a-week maintenance of our beaches and high-amenity areas.  In addition, provision has been made to progress the statutory process for the Cherrywood Town Centre and Environs Review to update and balance employment, residential, retail, commercial, and community use, and to advance the review of the Sandyford Urban Framework Plan area to guide future development, rebalance land uses, deliver homes, and strengthen Sandyford’s role as a strategic employment hub for the County. Together, these measures reflect our vision for a progressive and vibrant county for all who live, work, and visit.”

Income: Commercial Rates & LPT

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown has approximately 5,107 commercial properties, generating approximately €113 million in rates income in 2025. The draft Budget for 2026 includes a 1% increase in commercial rates. The proposed scheme for 2026 continues the 2025 approach, offering a 35% abatement for ratepayers with bills of €10,000 or less for up to six months. Provision has also been renewed for the Ratepayers Support Grant.


At the July County Council meeting, members agreed to reduce the local adjustment factor by 15%. Changes to the LPT allocation model mean the Council will receive an additional €10.8 million in LPT funding for 2026. Half of this increase will be set aside for regeneration projects.

Service increase

The draft budget includes a change to charges at the Ballyogan Civic Recycling Facility. The cost for disposing of green waste will increase from €8 to €12.

Budget Highlights include:

Housing

  • Providing high-quality housing is essential to supporting community well-being, and the Housing budget has been strengthened to reflect this priority.
  • An additional €2.5 million has been allocated for housing maintenance, enabling the Council to address findings from the recent stock condition survey.
  • The Council’s contribution to the Dublin Region Homeless Executive has increased by €250,000.
  • Amendments to the differential rent scheme will yield €2 million in additional income, supporting expanded housing services.

 

Infrastructure & Climate Action

  • An increase of €2.3 million in expenditure for road transport and road safety.
  • Funding includes a surface dressing programme for roads in rural parts of the county and an additional €60,000 for footpath upgrades.
  • With assistance from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, a further €883,000 has been allocated under Phase 2 of the Community Climate Action Programme, continuing the success of Phase 1.

 

Parks & Recreation

Significant additional resources have been allocated to enhance parks and recreational facilities:

  • Grass Cutting Contracts: €400,000.
  • Tree Care Programme: €400,000

 

Culture, Tourism & Community

  • Food Tourism Strategy: Additional budget allocated to support a new Food Tourism Strategy in partnership with other Dublin local authorities.
  • Events: Continued provision for the New Year’s Eve Dublin Fireworks Spectacular at Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
  • Libraries: Funding for the operation of Ballyogan Library (opened in 2025) and the new Stillorgan Library (opening in 2026), bringing the total number of branches to nine.
  • Arts Grants: Budget for arts grants has almost doubled to €226,000, reflecting our commitment to supporting professional development and arts practice for individual artists.

 

We would like to thank Councillor Jim Gildea Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the members of the Corporate Policy Group for their role in the preparation of the budget. We look forward to working with the Councillors during 2026 as we deliver an enhanced level of services and supports funded by the budget.

For reference to the figures debated by Councillors at the Budget meeting please see the draft Annual Budget 2026 here. This will be superseded shortly by a finalised Adopted Budget Book 2026.

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