Local councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice has expressed anger over the latest roads funding allocation for County Roscommon, claiming that priority projects in his municipal district have been ignored.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said he was “deeply unhappy” that funding had not been provided for low-cost safety schemes in the Roscommon Municipal District. He was also dismayed that just one project in Castlerea received funding under the ‘Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Works’ funding strand.
“Normally there is an equal allocation where Roscommon and Castlerea may get funding for two or three projects each but this time around Castlerea has received nothing,” he said.
“There are seven projects funded in Boyle, five in Athlone and none in Castlerea. This is terrible and I’m shocked by it”.
Cllr Fitzmaurice said that of sixteen possible schemes, Castlerea received funding for just one project under the Bridge Rehabilitation Works scheme (€25,000 for Leitrim Bridge).
“My understanding is that this funding is allocated based on a priority list and there are a number of projects in the Roscommon Municipal District on this priority list. Someone somewhere must have skipped this list and that’s very serious,” he said.
“Without this funding there won’t be work for Council workers…we can’t just invent work. I have made contact with the Minister for Transport and will be asking Roscommon County Council to go back to the Department to seek clarification on this”.
