Local authorities receive funding to cope with bad weather

THE Government
is busy planning ahead for what could be a third severe winter in a row.

Minister for
Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has announced that local
authorities will share an extra e1.25 million (e10 million to e11.25 million)
in funding this year to prepare for extreme weather conditions.

Maintenance

Dublin City
Council and Fingal County Council will receive e136,421 and e128,513
respectively to help with winter maintenance, including keeping roads clear
during harsh weather.

Local
authorities will also receive 60,000 tonnes of salt this year for regional and
local roads.

Prepare

Minister
Varadkar said:

“We must do everything we can to prepare Ireland for extreme
weather conditions.

“Every extreme
winter in recent years has seen salt stocks running perilously low.

“Hopefully,
local authorities will have access to sufficient supplies of salt this year,
and sufficient resources to spread it, as a result of this extra funding.

?

The minister
added:

“We have no way of knowing whether another severe winter is on the way.
But we must do our very best to be prepared.

?

Savings

The extra e1.25
million, along with the direct purchase of some 60,000 tonnes of salt, was
possible through savings in the department.

It means that
local authorities will have access to some 60,000 tonnes of salt on top of the
supplies purchased separately by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

The funding will
help to cover the cost of purchasing, transporting, storing and spreading salt,
and other works associated with extreme weather conditions.

Welcomed

Dublin North
East TD Terence Flanagan (FG) welcomed the funding for both Dublin City Council
and Fingal County Council.

“If reports are
to be believed, it looks like we could be in for another harsh cold snap in the
coming months,

? said Deputy Flanagan.

“This time
around, the Government is putting contingency plans in place now.

Power

“This means
local authorities will have the power to react to tough conditions quickly,
which will hopefully, greatly reduce the disruption and difficulty experienced
by members of the public.

?