Laois councillors' unspent conference cash awarded to local projects
Money that would have been spent on conferences and training courses for Laois county councillors, is to be spent instead on public services around the county.
The silver lining of Covid-19 restrictions means a little extra Christmas bonus will be given to fix potholes and add disability items to playgrounds among other areas.
All 19 Laois public representatives are allocated €4,700 each per year in the Laois County Council budget. €4,000 is for training and €700 for the cost of attending conferences. That adds up to almost €180,000 over the past two years.
Cllr Aisling Moran had asked in October that any unspent money be redistributed. She also thanked the council for using some of it to buy the councillors new laptops, ensuring they can all attend council meetings remotely during the pandemic.
This week at their December meeting, the council announced approval to transfer €75,000 from members' training and conference budget to the following areas.
Disability facilities in playgrounds will get €20,000, library services also get €20,000. Local Roads maintenance €22,400, Public lighting €4,200, community grants €4,200 and open spaces €4,200.