Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, has announced that €304,255 has been granted to County Laois for the upgrade of local roads.
Minister Flanagan said: “I am happy to announce that my colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD has allocated €304,255 to County Laois under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS).”
This is in addition to the €956,000 allocated to Laois this week by the Department of Transport to assist Laois County Council in progressing repairs to affected regional and local roads.
LIS funding is for the improvement of small roads and laneways in rural parts of Laois that are not under the normal maintenance of Laois County Council.
“It is used to carry out improvement works on private and non-publicly maintained roads. Often these roads lead to multiple residences, parcels of land that support agricultural activity or to amenities such as lakes or rivers,” said Minister Flanagan.
“As a result, the road improvements carried out under this scheme make a huge difference for people living in rural areas accessing their homes and farms.
“It is also used to improve local amenities such as graveyards the benefit of the whole community as well as visitors.
“Laois County Council is responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme,” the Laois/Offaly TD added.
The Minister concluded: “The Action Plan for Rural Development prioritises improving rural infrastructure and connectivity, and by supporting the LIS scheme we are doing just that.
“I am delighted that my Department is making such a positive impact on the lives of people who live and work in rural areas, through a whole range of measures such as the Town and Village Scheme, CLÁR, and the LEADER programme.”
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