Dempsey: Councils are skimping on road spending

TOWN and county councils are skimping on investment in their local roads, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey claimed.

The minister yesterday announced a record 618 million to be spent on the upkeep and improvement of local and regional routes this year.

But he hit out at local authorities for their over-reliance on his department for funds, stating the primary responsibility for non-national roads lay locally.