*Cllr Shane Talty. Photograph: Eamon Ward
A Government scheme providing funding for local authorities to carry out improvement works on private and non-publicly maintained roads has been brandished as โnot fit for purposeโ by a North Clare councillor.
Between 2018 and 2020, 34 local improvement scheme (LIS) were completed in Co Clare with a total value amounting to โฌ1,557,009. Across the county, there are 226 applications for the LIS that are unfulfilled, they have an estimated value of โฌ9.04m.
23 of the 34 completed roads were in the West Clare Municipal District which accounted for โฌ1,177,175 of the โฌ1.5m.
Cllr Shane Talty (FF) calculated that it would take two decades to clear the existing backlog of roads at the current pace at which the County Council is operating. โThe scheme is not fit for purpose,โ he commented. He felt the countyโs Oireacthas members needed to play a part in clearing the backlog. โIt is a hugely important scheme but as it stands it is dead in the waterโ.
Additional funding should be made available to accelerate the improvement of roads on the scheme, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) maintained.
โIt is all well and good getting the extra funding, the challenge we have as a Municipal District is getting the work done, the size of the Municipal District is half the county,โ acting senior executive officer John OโMalley responded.