'Get a few chickens' to qualify for farm road grant says Laois councillor

Rules have tightened on a grant for resurfacing rural laneways, but a Laois councillor has suggested a way around it.

The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), gives money to improve non-public roads that are used to access agricultural land or amenities such as lakes, graveyards and mountains.

It now requires the applicants to show they have two herd numbers instead of one. 

Cllr Willie Aird has the solution he believes.

"If you get a few chickens, you need a herd number. That's your second herd number," he said.

The latest round of LIS cash announced for Laois is not going towards any his area, the Portlaoise Municipal District.

The central area in Laois stretches from Portlaoise to Abbeyleix, is not getting any of the €304,736 granted to the local authority to award to some of its 47 applicants waiting on the grant.

Seven applications are already chosen to benefit, with six in the Mountmellick to Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District, and one in the Portarlington to Graiguecullen Municipal District.

Cllr Aird tabled a motion to the March meeting of Laois County Council, asking why Laois got such a small sum from the €12.5 million announced across Ireland.

The Director of Services for Roads Simon Walton said that the €12.5 is spread over 32 local authorities and includes €500,000 for islands this year. 

"We hope there will be additional funding later in the year. There's plenty of applicants out there, we encourage people to make applications," he said.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly representing the Portlaoise area asked for some of the money, at the March meeting of Laois County Council.

"Will some be done in Portlaoise? I also represent Abbeyleix, Ballinakill, Spink, Raheen and part of Shanahoe. Make sure at least one or two take place," he said.

Meanwhile Cllr PJ Kelly from the eastern area said there are more than 14 applications waiting there. He is concerned that requirements have changed and the applicants must have two agricultural herd numbers to prove a need for funding laneways.

Cllr Padraig is also concerned.

"I get the impression that new rules will apply. Surely if the rules have changed since people applied they should be kept on the old rules," he said.

Of the 47 applications waiting for LIS funding with Laois County Council, 30 are in the Mountmellick Borris-in-Ossory MD, 14 in Portarlington Graiguecullen MD and three in Portlaoise MD.

It will take another €1.95million to pay for all them to be resurfaced.

Director of Services Simon Walton explained how they chose recipients of the LIS funding.

"We allocate it based on the number of applications in each municipal district. The next ones are high value schemes so we have to go back to the department to get approval. Last year we completed 22 LIS county wide. Hopefully when additional funding is announced later in the year, the Portlaoise ones I mentioned will be included," the roads director said.

He said that while rules have changed requesting two herd numbers instead of one, the council will do all it can to help applications get the funding needed.

Laois in national Met Éireann high winds weather warning

"We don't want to see anybody who's been on a list for years being ineligible. Contact us and we'll do what we can to ensure they are kept on the list. Get the applications in, don't be waiting. Wehen we went to the department and said we completed all the schemes they funded, we can finish more, we got more funding," Mr Walton said.