Local elected representatives of Clare’s county town are claiming enough isn’t being done to lobby for money from the Government for roads maintenance.
It comes as Clare County Council has revealed that Ennis’s funding for its schedule of municipal district works this year has been slashed by €400,000.
A total roads funding package of €48 million has been unveiled to the councillors of the Ennis area this week, including a record €4.23 million contribution from Clare County Council’s own resources.
The mood was one of disappointment however as the breakdown indicated that Ennis MD is the only region seeing a decrease in the amount of money it has to play with it for the coming 12 months.
Accounting for 30% of the county’s roads network, Kilrush has taken the lion’s share of the funding, with over €9 million going to the area.
Ennistymon and Killaloe have been given €6.5 million and €7.4 million respectively, while Shannon’s funding stands at €3.3 million.
While all of these areas are seeing a boost to their resources, Ennis has seen its funding cut for the second year running, with its €2.98 million total down 12% on last year and 22% on 2024.
Clarecastle Fianna Fáil Councillor Tom O’Callaghan says it’s not good enough.
Commenting on the funding package, Clare County Council Senior Executive Engineer Cyril Feeney pointed to “central government funding constraints”.
Mayor of Ennis, Fine Gael Councillor Mary Howard, says both elected representatives and the council executive need to “lobby harder” for funding.
Listen to the full interview here
*Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
