Councillors want Laois council to pay its share in communities

Laois County Council should pay for lighting to improve safety at schools and churches in rural areas rather than depending on money allocated to councillors to foot the bills.

That was the view expressed by public representatives at a recent meeting with county council management.

Councillors are allocated a €23,000 discretionary fund each annually. The money is generally used on road improvements, footpaths or lighting.

However, a number of Laois councillors said the council has become too reliant on this money to pay for new lights in communities that should be paid for out of the council’s central coffers.

Cllr Conor Bergin, Fine Gael, highlighted the issue at a Laois County Council in a motion tabled at a recent meeting after the need for lighting was raised with him at a school and church in Killanure.

He called on the local authority to provide two infill public lights in the car park beside Killanure NS and the L-1010 Lacka Road.

Cllr Bergin said the road serving the school is busy and is expected to get busier due to plans to develop mountain biking in the Slieve Blooms.

He said he had co-operated with Cllr James Kelly, Independent, to have new lights installed in 2022, because pupils had to wait in the dark for school buses every day.

Cllr Conor Bergin said the road toward Lacca is “very dangerous” and needs lights as does the area around the Church car park.

“In areas where there are schools and churches in rural areas, Laois County Council should at least be able to provide safe lighting,” he said.

He added that summer is the time to do the work and it would be appreciated in the community.

Cllr Kelly supported his colleague and endorsed the opinion that the road is very busy. He said there needs to be a change in the council’s approach to paying for lights.

“This council and probably most local authorities are depending on the discretionary funding given to councillors to pay for lights… the discretionary funding we get is not enough,” he said.

He said there will be little left in Cllr Bergin’s discretionary budget if the lights in Killanure are paid for from it.

Cllr Paddy Bracken, Fianna Fáil, backed Cllr Kelly.

“We (councillors) are inundated with lights. The cost is around €4,000 for a light,” he said before adding, “we will keep fighting”.

Paul McLoughlin, Senior Engineer, Roads replied in writing the Cllr Bergin’s motion. 

“The Road Design Section of Laois County Council will examine the request for additional lights at this location and consult Cllr Bergin in this regard,” he said.

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