This table shows where one county council planned to get its day-to-day money for 2026.
What do you notice first?
Where does a council's money come from, and who decides how it is spent?
The same Clare figures are in the table on the board. The chart is empty.
The short labels on the chart match the table like this:
- Grants means government grants.
- Charges means goods and services (rents, parking, fees).
- Business rates means commercial rates from businesses.
- Property tax means local property tax on homes.
Which bar is tallest?
About how much is planned from commercial rates and local property tax together?
What does the tallest bar tell us about where most of this money is planned to come from?
In your copy, finish these two lines in your own words:
Most of this council's day-to-day money is planned to come from ...
I know because the chart and table show ...
The chart and table show where the money is planned to come from. Now look at who decides how it is spent.
Elected councillors vote on the budget each November.
Who has a clear say when the yearly budget is agreed?
Who has little or no say, even though they use the roads, the library or the park?
In Clare's 2026 day-to-day budget, most money was planned to come from government grants. Councillors vote on that budget; many people who use the services have no direct say on the figures.
If you could ask our own councillors one question about money for services near our school, what would you ask?
That was a sample lesson from Geography for 6th Class
Every lesson in the course is ready to teach like this one. See what else comes with it, and how to order it.
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2026. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.