North Mayo 'forgotten about' with 'embarrassing' funding allocations
The Cathaoirleach of the Ballina Municipal District has described recent allocations for road projects in the municipal district as "embarrassing".
Cllr Michael Loftus welcomed the overall allocation of €40.5 million for Mayo but said some projects are being underfunded.
“I was embarrassed to see an allocation of €30,000 into the R315 Crossmolina to Lahardane road,” he told last week's municipal district meeting. “There is a section of the R315 at Castlehill that is a disgrace. I have been constantly asking for it to be done since I was elected in 2014. €23,000 into Mullenmore Street in Crossmolina is an embarrassment.”
Cllr Loftus said there has been a lack of investment in the region under this funding programme.
“North Mayo has been forgotten about. I don’t begrudge South Mayo for getting €1.2 million for the Cong-Tuam roadway but why don’t we get more up here?”
Cllr John O’Hara supported Cllr Loftus’s comments on the R315.
“We need more money [in North Mayo]. We don’t have buses or trains to get around and people need the roads. [Mayo] got €40m but could do with €40m more.”
“We need to ask our new Minister and Senator to look for more money for roads because money doesn’t go very far these days. A cup of tea costs €3.20 nowadays and all you’re getting is a teabag and some hot water.”
Area engineer Orla Bourke said she felt Ballina had received a "fair share" of the funding, especially climate change adaption allocations.
Cllr Loftus added he had previously asked for two schemes in Crossmolina to be completed but was told he would have to wait for the Flood Relief Scheme (FRS) to be approved.
“On the day the FRS was approved, I sent an email to the Roads Office and was told until they get more staff, they cannot get those schemes done, they just don’t have the manpower,” he said.
“That is not good enough an answer. With these staffing levels, if they can’t do these sort of jobs, where will we even spend the €40 million?”
Director of Services Catherine McConnell, who has responsibility for human resources in Mayo Co Council, said there was a high turnover of staff to different projects.
“We don’t have engineers that we can just take off the shelf,” she said. “The local authority is not an attractive option and there is such a demand for civil engineers.”
