Clare Councillors will press for the Council to invest in more capital projects throughout the county as part of their ongoing budgetary process.
It follows the release of new figures showing that Ennis accounted for a third of capital spending by Clare County Council over recent years.
Clare County Council has spent 151 million euro on a wide range of projects across the county between January 2017 and June this year.
More than 82 million of this went on housing, and when that spend is removed, as well as smaller projects worth less than €50,000, €56 million worth of projects remain.
More than 19.1 million of this was spent in Ennis, with 14.4 million spent in North Clare, including over 4 million on storm damage repairs.
West Clare received just 6.55 million, with €4m being spent in the Shannon Electoral Area.
The figures were released following a motion by Lissycasey Fianna Fáil Councillor PJ Kelly who has expressed disappointment at the figures, saying there appears to be too much of a focus on tourism projects in the area, rather than investments that will benefit year-round residents.
The Lissycasey Fianna Fáil Councillor has also expressed concern about what he describes as an over-investment in Ennis, and wants to see more finance directed towards community projects in the upcoming budget.
12 million euro has been spent in East Clare over the same period, but 9.8 million of this has gone on the Shannon Bridge Crossing project.
Bodyke Fine Gael Councillor Joe Cooney says progress on the project is welcome, describing it as a vital piece of infrastructure for the Midwest, East Clare and Killaloe.
Councillor Cooney acknowledges the challenges ahead in the wake of the pandemic, but he’s confident that a spend on roads and vital infrastucture like wastewater treatment can be maintained.
