Council still awaiting €4.25m storm funding
Road maintenance programmes may have to be pared back in the county, it emerged yesterday.
Cllr John Paul O’Shea (Ind) said councillors in North Cork had been told by local engineers that was the likely scenario, despite the Government requesting the local authority in February last to submit a report on storm damage costs.
“A list of the damage post-January 6, including Storm Darwin in February, was sent to the Department of the Environment in early March. We still haven’t a response to this and we’ve been told that if we don’t get it then each district will have to review its (roads repair) programmes,” Cllr O’Shea said.
Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) claimed some hauliers in West Cork were refusing to make deliveries to farmers because roads are so bad.
“They (the Government) should suspend one big NRA contract for 12 months and use that money to do up these roads.”
County mayor Cllr Alan Coleman (FF) said the council would push the Government further on the matter.
Council chief executive Tim Lucey said officials had been pushing hard for the €4.25mn and he was hoping to acquire three more velocity patchers shortly to help with road repairs.
