CLARE County Council has been allocated €894,122 to cover a substantial portion of the unplanned costs it incurred during last year’s severe winter weather, according to figures released to Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney.
The funding confirmation came in a written parliamentary reply from James Browne, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who outlined the nationwide recoupment of €18.6 million to local authorities for their emergency response to Storm Éowyn, Storm Amy, Storm Bert and the January 2025 snow event.
Clare was among the counties most affected by Storm Éowyn, which brought flooding, road damage and extensive utility outages. The Minister said the funding recognises the scale of the work carried out by councils during severe weather events and the importance of enabling a rapid response.
The payments cover emergency work such as clean-up operations, overtime, machinery hire and other immediate costs.
Deputy Joe Cooney said he welcomed the allocation for Clare and described it as a significant contribution towards the unexpected and unavoidable expenses the council faced during Storm Éowyn.
“This funding will go a long way towards covering the emergency response costs that simply could not have been budgeted for,” he said. “Clare County Council staff were on the ground around the clock during the storm, protecting homes, clearing roads and supporting communities. It is only right that the State steps in to reimburse these exceptional expenses.”
Deputy Cooney said he would continue to press for strong national support for local authorities as extreme weather events become more frequent.
The Minister noted that while the payments cover emergency response costs, repairs to public infrastructure such as roads and coastal protection works are funded separately through the relevant Government departments.
