€100 million for Laois must stretch to fixing street lights

Laois has enough money in its €100 million budget to ensure broken street lights at not left unrepaired for weeks and longer, a Laois councillor insists.

Cllr Conor Begin, Fine Gael, made the point in frustration at a December meeting with council officials. He said the problem was raised at every Borris - in Ossory Mountellick Municipal District meeting in 2023.

“I’m getting calls nearly every other day on this issue…it is not a huge thing to expect to have lights fixed,” he said.
Cllr Bergin said money should not be an issue.

“We adopted a budget of more than €100 million so to have lights fixed for Christmas is not too much to ask,” he said.
Cllr John King, Mountrath, said there were up to a dozen lights out of order in Rathdowey with many more out around the district.
He said it was not fair that councillors have to deal with the issue constantly.

“We’re getting the brunt of it every day as councillors,” he said.

He held the ESB and the council’s public lighting contractor responsible.

Cllr King and Cllr Bergin said council staff are doing their best to have repairs carried out and instead said the retained contractors were accountable.

Cllr Ollie Clooney, Independent, said he was aware of 17 lights that are not working. He said five were new but not connected. He said he had reported them ‘months ago’. Cllr Clooney made a biblical reference to delays.

“You’d want to have the patience of Job,” he said.

Cllr James Kelly, Mountrath, differed saying he has had a good experience dealing with the contractor. He claimed Laois is getting a better public lighting service than neighbouring counties.

He said commissioning Christmas lights would have taken up time available to contractors. He claimed that the lights in Camross could not be fixed because of the Christmas lights work. He said he had received reports of 12 street lights out of action in Mountrath. He added that the repair work began after he notified the matter to staff in county hall.

He said a small number of lights could not be fixed due to part problems. In another instance, he said a stop-go system would be required.

The issue was raised at the Borris-in-Ossory Moutmellick Municipal District meeting.