Mystery over whereabouts of €200,000 Laois path funding

A councillor said the disappearance of €200,000 was one of the "strangest things I have seen” in his time at the council.

Fianna Fail Cllr Paschal McEvoy had asked for a progress report on a planned footpath in Timahoe. 

He asked in a motion “that Laois County Council give an update as to when the footpath/cycle lane from Timahoe Village to the GAA Grounds is due to commence” at a recent meeting. 

In a written response to the motion,  Senior Executive Engineer, Active Travel Office,  Diarmuid Donohue said: “The NTA are targeting schemes in highly populated areas where maximum benefit can be achieved from investment funding. This scheme also does not meet the criteria for an Active Travel scheme for due to the current speed limit of 80km/h and low level of daily usage.”

Cllr McEvoy said €200,000 had been allocated to the project which had been scheduled to begin last year. 

“There’s €200,000 gone. I don’t know where it is. All the prep work seemingly has disappeared and now it is not happening,” an astounded Cllr McEvoy said.

“There was €200,000 approved for that scheme in 2021,” he said. 

“Can anyone explain that. Does anyone find that strange like I do,” he asked. 

“I find that one of the strangest things that I have seen since I came into this council,” he said. 

Fianna Fail Cllr Padraig Fleming said he fully supported Cllr McEvoy. 

“It is ridiculous to think that money was allocated, which it was, and this answer comes out here,” he said. 

Cllr McEvoy pointed out that it had been reported in the local papers that the work was due to start last October because that was the response to a previous motion. 

“It was the answer to my motion,” he explained of the press reports.  

“I had to go back to the GAA Club and say look lads, it’s not going to start in October, it’s starting next year,” he recalled. 

“When the boys put this in the paper next week, who is going to look like a fool?” he asked. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said transparency was needed in relation to the matter. 

“Where is the €200,000 gone? We need to know where it is,” she said. 

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Independent Cllr and Cathaoirleach of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District, Ben Brennan asked Head of Finance, Gerry Murphy to look into the matter.