A total of €900,000 in funding has been allocated to Local Improvement Schemes (LIS) in Cork, according to Fine Gael TD for Cork East and Minister of State at the Department of Justice & Equality, David Stanton. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) monies are made available by the Department of Rural and Community Development to local authorities to support improvement works on non-publically maintained rural roads.
“I am pleased to see that Cork County Council has been granted funding of €900,000 again this year to enable rural road improvements to improve access to homes and farms. This LIS funding is in addition to the 2020 allocation of almost €57.9 million by the Department of Transport to Cork County Council for local and regional road works, which represents a 14.7% increase on last year and over 11% of the total national budget.
“A total nationwide LIS allocation of €10 million has been made available to local authorities this year, a similar funding total to that allocated in 2019. Such funding will allow for the repair and upkeep of small roads and laneways that are not maintained by local authorities, such as those leading to homes and businesses or to rural public amenities”, said David Stanton.
The LIS was reintroduced by the Department of Rural and Community Development in 2017 with total funding of €48.3 million being allocated to authorities since then. Under the scheme, the Department provides the majority of the funding for the road improvements, with the remaining contribution coming from local residents, or local authorities in the case of roads leading to public amenities.
In 2019 the Department introduced a cap of €1,200 on the amount that any individual householder or landowner is asked to contribute towards repair costs. This cap will remain in place for the 2020 programme.
“The LIS was established in recognition of the importance of non-public rural roads as their repair and improvement greatly aids connectivity and improves the quality of life of rural communities. I would encourage any persons who are interested in the scheme to make contact with Cork County Council for advice”, concluded David Stanton.