THE allocation of Government funds to a number of areas affected by last year’s flooding has been delayed because the Office of Public Works (OPW) have requested more information on applications from Clare County Council.
Just under €4 million was made available by the OPW last week to 14 local authorities who were affected by the deluge last November and December. However, despite being one of the counties worst affected by the flooding, Clare did not have a single successful application in the latest tranche of funding.
While a number of “further information” requests have been issued to the local authority in relation to some small inland flooding schemes, it is not clear if these requests are to blame for all the Clare projects being overlooked during this round of funding.
The Clare People understands that Clare County Council currently has applications with the OPW for projects in Ennis, Ballybeg and St Flannan’s College as well as a number of areas of east and north Clare.
Since taking control of the allocation of Flood Works Funding in 2008, the OPW has released one tranche of funding per year. However, in response to last winter’s unprecedented flooding, the state agency released an extra €1.3 million last November.
Last week’s announcement was the second tranche of funding made available by the OPW in 2010 but it is unclear whether a third tranche will be made later this year.
So far in 2010 just four projects, representing a total spend of €462,000, have been given the green light by the OPW in Clare. In March, funding was granted for works on the Gort Road Industrial Estate in Ennis (€300,000), Ruan (€90,000), Ranaghan (€36,000) and Cloonboney (€36,000).
In the same time period, Cork County Council received €1,805,000; Galway County Council received €1,695,000 and Kildare County Council received €1,466,000. Other local authorities to who received large pay-outs were Roscommon County Council (€888,000), Kilkenny County Council (€679,000) and Westmeath County Council (€519,000).
In a press release announcing last week’s funding, the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Martin Mansergh (FF), said that the finding “represents a fair distribution geographically to local authorities around the country”.
“The amount that has now been allocated this year represents a 500 per cent increase on the amount allocated in 2009,” he said.
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