Fury as Mayo County Council hands back €235,000 in rural road funds
Mayo County Council has been accused of “a crime” against rural communities after returning almost a quarter of a million euro in unspent LIS road funding to the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The cash, €235,000 earmarked under the Government’s Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) could have repaired multiple non-public rural roads and laneways across the county, councillors have claimed.
Instead, it was sent back to Dublin at the end of 2024 after the council failed to spend it, despite widespread complaints about crumbling roads and years-long waiting lists.
Independent councillor John O’Malley, who first caught wind of the the underspend in June, but the Connaught Telegraph revealed to him that the figure was larger.
O'Malley said, “We thought it was €200,000, finding out it was €235,000 is an absolute crime. All the roads need to be done. In the Westport area alone I have eight roads on my list. If we had that money, what a difference it would have made. To think it was sent back… it’s a shame. Someone didn’t do their job, it’s as simple as that.”
The LIS, which funds upgrades to private rural roads not maintained by local authorities, has delivered almost €170 million nationwide since 2017. For 2024, Mayo County Council received €1.53m, but underspent by €235,000k when final claims were lodged.
While the Department funds the scheme, councils manage it, from prioritising eligible roads to scheduling works and maintaining waiting lists. It is one of the most coveted tranches of funding available to local councillors to administer.
Councillor O’Malley blasted the council’s handling, saying engineers “should have known” and ensured the works were lined up before year-end.
“It didn’t need to be spent in one district, it could have been spent anywhere in the county. That money should not have been sent back.”
Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne also hit out, claiming delays in approving a secondary list of projects left the cash idle.
“Either the council was slow sending it to the Department or the Department was slow approving it. Either way, people have been waiting years,” he said.
“It’s really serious. No accountability. At the end of the day, the chief is responsible.”
The controversy comes as the same department recently announced €14m in additional LIS funding nationally, boosting Mayo’s 2025 allocation by €505,000 to €1.578m for the year ahead.
“What good is that extra money when it’s split between 30 councillors?” asked Cllr O’Malley.
“The people who needed this funding last year are still waiting.”