Fianna Fåil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has expressed his disappointment with the decision of Fine Gael Councillors to cut funds available to for maintenance on local and regional roads by € 400,000 in 2014 in spite of clear warning of the impact of such a cut on the condition of our roads in the coming year and into the future.
‘The Fine Gael Group have admitted that having met with Minister Vardkar, that he and their Government colleagues are unwilling to reinstate funding from Central Government to fund works on private lanes serving dwellings and agricultural holdings this year or into the future, instead of fighting and delivering for the County, the Fine Gael Councillors and by implication their Oireachtas members have admitted that they have no influence and are now getting Cavan County Council to do Minister Varadkar and Hogan’s dirty work. There will be more pot-holes on Cavan Roads, more roads not surface-dressed, less money for public lights, less money to deal with flooding and all down to the Fine Gael Councillors,’
Director of Services, Joe McLoughlin outlined that his engineers have advised that we are only spending half of what is needed to maintain the roads to the minimum standard and that since 2008 the level of funding available from Government has fallen by around 40% as has the contribution from the own resources of the County Council.
‘It is reckless in the extreme to reduce out already inadequate roads budget and allow our roads deteriorate further. It’s is worth noting that in the past the Fine Gael Party presided over the destruction of the roads of count Cavan and led to our county earning the sad title of the ‘Pot Hole County’ and the Fine Gael Councillors seem determined to follow this route again.’
Concluding Councillor Feeley noted that it was sad that for the second time the Fine Gael Party have removed funding for the Local Improvement Scheme and on this occasion when they admit at national level that it is to abolished in all respects and now leave it to local authorities.
“I call on the Government to provide proper funding to Cavan County Council to fund the Local Improvement Scheme in 2014 and into the future.’