Over 20,000 homeowners in Cavan must pay new fee

More than 20,000 houses in County Cavan will be hit by the government's new household charge, which came into effect on January 1. County Manager Jack Keyes is backing the new €100 charge, which all eligible households must pay by March 31. It is expected to raise €160m nationally this year. He told The Anglo-Celt this week that the new charge will generate much needed income for local authorities to deliver vital services such as roads, water, sewerage and housing locally. Mr Keyes explained that all of the money collected centrally will be ringfenced for local authorities. Full story in this week's Anglo-Celt.