Fine Gael TD for Kildare South Martin Heydon, has today (Friday) welcomed confirmation of the allocation to Kildare County Council of €799,900 for local and Regional roads and in particular the flexibility provided to the Council to allocate some of this funding to local and community improvement schemes.
“Ministers Pascal Donohoe and Michael Ring have confirmed today the allocation for critical remedial work and the maintenance and strengthening of the regional and local road network across Kildare. They have also critically confirmed that 20% of the roads allocation can be used by the Council for CIS (Community Involvement Scheme) with 10% available for LIS (Local Improvement Schemes) which I have been looking for, for some time.
“CIS schemes facilitate a person, or group of persons, with the consent of the road authority, to carry out maintenance and improvement works on local roads. This allows community participation, either in money or in kind (for example through the provision of road-machinery, excavators, road building material, labour, etc.) in having lightly trafficked roads maintained to a good standard.
“Similarly, LIS schemes provide funding for roads and laneways that have not been taken in charge by the Council, the maintenance and improvement of which is a matter for the relevant landowner. In addition, approval can be sought from this extra allocation to fund urgent road safety projects which local authorities wish to progress this year.
“By allowing a portion of this much needed funding to be allocated in this way, flexibility is given to local communities and to the Council to ensure that surfaces are kept to a high standard, helping to minimise accidents and keep our roads and laneways in good working order.”
“I am approached constantly by communities and groups of residents who want to improve a local laneway or who are willing to contribute in some way. The CIS and LIS schemes facilitate those works and should ensure that more rural roads and laneways are improved in the coming year.