Councillor calls for greater transparency on how road repair funding is allocated

Greater transparency in how funding is allocated to the improvement grant list for local roads was called for at a February’s Laytown/Bettystown Municipal meeting.

Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade proposed that three roads “in poor condition” that haven’t been listed for maintenance be added to the scheme with additional funding. Meade also pointed out that Ashbourne MD received greater funding for road maintenance than Laytown/Bettystown and called for their budgets to be matched.

"Ashbourne has been allocated Є1.52M and we are being allocated Є1.24M so we are receiving Є281,000 less than the Ashbourne district and I don’t think that is fair,” said Cllr Meade.

"I would request that the L56004, L56026 and the 56027 be added to our programme of works which would bring us up to receiving roughly the same amount of funding as the Ashbourne district,” he added.

"I have been ten years and those three roads have not been surveyed in that time.

"Sadly if that is not done, I can’t support the roads budget.”

Meade requested that members be privy to other municipal district budgets in the county.

"I ‘d like to know what percentage we are receiving versus the other districts,” he said.

Meath County Council said that every MD is surveyed on its own merits and funding differs year on year giving the example that the Navan area;s funding had decreased this time around.

"It is our job as cllrs to hold these things to account. We are being asked here to vote blind. You are telling me that Navan has come down but I can’t see that because I don’t have those figures,” meade responded.

Labour Cllr Elaine McGinty also chimed in:

"We are being asked questions as public representatives across this area and we cannot give the correct information because we don’t have it. We are being asked to vote blindly on this. I get questions everyday about Julianstown, Beamore Road, Platin, Bettystown. It’s the same roads and we don’t have the information.

"We have a huge crisis of traffic in South Drogheda/East Meath, it;s coming up on the door steps, we are facing an election and we don’t have the answers.”

Chief Executive of Meath County Council, Fiona Lawless said:

"The more transparency the easier is it but doesn’t mean that you can’t trust the process. It has already been agreed by a number of MDs so it is very difficult to change it now. We can make a commitment that next year those three roads will be included in the survey."

Meade’s proposal was seconded by Fianna Fail Cllr Stephen McKee. The schedule of municipal works was adopted by all members bar Meade who opposed it.