Cavan County Council hold 222 applications under the Local Improvement Scheme the oldest of which are six dating back to 2008.
The allocation of € 269,240 in 2020 funded the completion of 4 lanes the same numbers as were done in 2019. The more substantial allocation of € 636,680 in 2018 allowed 12 lanes to be completed.
Given the level of funding provided in the past three years completed 20 lanes there is no end in sight for applicants on the list.
Cavan County Council have not assessed any of the applications received in 2018, 2019 or 2020 as there is no realistic possibility of getting these roads done.
In 2012, then Minister Hogan admitted to Cavan County Council that the decision of the then Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar TD was ‘a bit harsh’. As that stage we felt it very unfair that we had a waiting list of sixty-four. I would be very happy if the list was down to those levels again!
The failure of Government to make any allocation for a number of years has led to this disastrous situation. Even if the 2011 level of funding had been maintained it would have kept the list ticking-over, some lanes that are now in a total mess could have been repaired at a lot less cost.
At this stage Minister Ryan as Minister for Transport and Minister Humphreys as Minister for Rural and Community Development need to come together to provide a further allocation in 2020, a substantial allocation in 2021 and a commitment to sustained allocations in the coming years so that applicants can have some hope of getting work done.
John Paul Feeley
Fianna Fáil Member of Cavan County Council
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