Category Archives: Press Releases

Cavan County Council adopt a ‘Pot-Hole’ Roads Programme

Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has criticised the roads programme adopted for 2014 by Cavan County Council. Referring to the failure of Government to provide proper funding for the maintenance and improvement of local and regional roads and to provide specific funding for the Local Improvement Scheme, the West Cavan Councillor further criticised the decision of the Fine Gael Councillors to take a further € 260,000 from our Roads Budget to provide a limited Local Improvement Scheme.

‘The reality is that since 2008 the level of funding from Central Government for local and regional roads has fallen by about 47%. The Council’s own contribution has fallen by about 40% in the same period. This Government has abolished specific grants and restoration grants. The advice from our Engineers is that we have about half of the money we need to maintain the existing roads network. Everyone in the County will recognise that the there is a clear and obvious deterioration in our road surfaces. That is the background to the Roads Programme for 2014.’

Councillor Feeley complemented the Council Executive and the local engineers  and roads staff for their ongoing efforts. He stated that despite limited resources they continue to do good work and get value for money on behalf of the people of the county.

‘Good work will be done in County Cavan in 2014, the local area staff, the engineers and the Executive will make sure of that but we as Councillors, and in particular the Fine Gael Group have left them with less money to repair potholes, surface dress our roads, complete drainage, repair footpaths, maintain amenity areas and provide matching funding for Smarter Travel/Greenway Projects. That is the stark reality.’

Councillor Feeley noted the detailed discussion on the Local Improvement Scheme. He emphasised that he and all of his Fianna Fáil colleagues fully supported the Scheme and in so doing noted that the previous government provided almost € 400,000 in 2010 as a specific grant from central government but that the present Government has abolished the Scheme.

‘The LIS is a vital scheme, one that was always funded from central government. It is a disgrace and a shame that it has not being properly funded so that the almost 100 applicants in our own county can have their lanes done. We now have this gimmick of taking money from our public regional and local roads to fund minuscule number of lanes. It is a damning indictment of the Fine Gael Councillors that they and their Oireachtas Representatives have failed to secure funding from Government for the LIS, they say its important, let Minister Hogan and Varadkar and this Government put their money where their mouth is and fund it, rather than making a bad situation on our local and regional roads worse.’

Fine Gael have forced Cavan County Council to introduce a ‘pro-pothole’ roads programme in 2014 and that is a sad situation concluded Feeley.

Cavan County Council issue planning approval for development at Blacklion Enterprise Centre

Cavan County Council issue planning approval for development at Blacklion Enterprise Centre

John Paul Feeley has welcomed the issue of planning approval to Cavan County Enterprise Board to complete substantial work at Blacklion Enterprise Centre.  The works will in early course proceed to tender with a view to completion by the middle of 2014.

‘Every opportunity to stimulate economic activity in the region must be welcomed. Cavan County Enterprise Board under the direction of Vincent Reynolds as CEO has been to the fore in taking every opportunity for funding from whatever source to have the infrastructure in place to facilitate development. This project is yet another example and I am delighted to see the plans go through planning and hope that it will proceed to construction in the near future.’

The project known as  ‘Blacklion Rural Business Park’ is  one of 26 projects in counties Cavan, Fermanagh and Leitrim being developed under the Harnessing Natural Resources Project, funded under the Rural Development Theme of the Interreg 4A Programme managed by the EU Special Programmes Body.

The project involves the provision of infrastructure necessary to establish a small cross border rural business park incorporating six fully serviced sites at Blacklion, to include provision of access road, water mains, sewerage facilities, electricity services (to include public lighting), telecoms/ broadband. The project will also involve the removal of soil and other material to create stable foundations. It is estimated that the total investment under the project will be in the region of €200,000.

‘The project is just one of a number that has brought significant improvement to the region, in all of the counties involved projects are being implemented that should stimulate job creation in the long-term and result in further investments. As a member of the Cavan CEB, I know the work that Vincent Reynolds and Project Manager, Margaret McEvoy have put into this project with the full support of Jack Keyes, County Manager, as Chairman of the CEB and the other Board Members.’

The objective is to provide fully serviced sites to facilitate the establishment of small businesses, which will be marketed to entrepreneurs and promoters of existing enterprises in the Cavan/Fermanagh region. The ultimate aim is to support enterprise and job creation, through the utilisation of an existing valuable resource in an attractive village setting, situated along a national primary route.

Cavan County Enterprise Board is the lead partner for the project, with other partners being Cavan , Fermanagh and Leitrim Councils, Coillte Teoranta, Cavan County Enterprise Fund, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and Swanlinbar Development Association.

Concluding, Councillor Feeley welcomed the close cooperation between the various state agencies involved, north and south in attracting this funding the region.

New Figures reveal shocking attack on the old and disabled in Cavan by the Government

New Figures reveal shocking attack on the old and disabled in Cavan by the Government – Cllr John Paul Feeley

West Cavan Councillor John Paul Feeley, has expressed his shock and outrage at the shocking figures which reveal the scale of the cuts that the Government has imposed in Cavan, on the elderly and disabled people.

There has been an almost 50% cut in the number of families in Cavan that have received the Mobility Aid Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People grant, since 2011.

According to John Paul Feeley “what we are talking about here is the equivalent to a butchers knife being taken to the applications for Mobility Aid Grants and the Housing Aid for Older People schemes, which now stand at just over 50% of what it was in 2011 throughout Cavan.”

“This is cruel and it is heartless. How can the Government preside over this devastation to the lives of elderly people and their families of caring for them.  Mobility Aids Grant is available of up to €6,000 to cover a basic works to address the mobility problems of a member of a household. The areas covered include the provision of stair lifts, level access showers, access ramps, grab rails and some minor adaptation works. These grants are small, but they can have a profound impact in the lives of those who need them.”

“Looking at the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a disability, the figures for Cavan again display the scale of the cutbacks that the Government are imposing. These have been slashed from 57 in 2010 to only 36 in 2013. Housing adaptation grants are a lifeline for families and for individuals, which can help them live with dignity and comfort in their own homes.

“What is happening is that families are left with no but to put their loved ones into long-term care, despite the fact that there is no need to do so. Small grants such as those for housing adaptation, can transform the lives of those in need. Has the Government lost sight of this most basic human right.”

“All of these grants are now administered by Cavan Co. Council and it is shocking to think the Government representatives have tried to sweep this under the carpet and pretend that it isn’t happening.”

 

Table A

Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (HAG) 2010 – 2013 in Co. Cavan

2010 2011 2012 2013
57 48 41 36

 

Table B

Mobility Aids Grant Scheme (MAG) & the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme (HAOP) 2010 – 2013 in Co. Cavan

2010 2011 2012 2013
138 138 113 81

 

These figures were obtained from Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (Ms. Jan O’Sullivan T.D.)

Swanlinbar Water Supply Restored

Councillor John Paul Feeley has confirmed that the Water Supply in Swanlinbar has been restored following the discovery of a fault last (Wednesday) night. It will take some hours for full pressure to be restored but a completely normal service should be restored by mid-night tonight (Thursday).

Complementing the local Water Maintenance Caretaker and the staff of the Council who worked late into last night to deal with the issues which caused the fault he stated that there is a need for significant investment in the months ahead to ensure that there are no further disruptions to the supply in the village and the surrounding areas.

‘A completely reliable and safe water service is needed and is an absolute entitlement for all. There are ongoing problems with the source of water in Swanlinbar and whilst the Council do work quickly and efficiently to restore the supply and resolve the problems when they happen it is not acceptable that these faults arise so regularly resulting in water outages’

Councillor Feeley confirmed that the he had placed the issue on the Agenda for the next meeting of Cavan County Council.