Despite a recent commitment from Laois County Council to prioritise the environmental concerns of the county, there was no meaningful increase in funding in their Budget for 2024.
Most areas remain static, with some even seeing their funding cut.
Ironic, as the Budget meeting took place in the midst of Storm Debi.
Funding for recycling facilities has dropped from €412,000 to €363,000; waste regulation monitoring has been cut by €17,500; while litter management has been cut by €10,500.
There were marginal increases, with the Council clearly inspired by Abbeyleix’s recent win at the Tidy Towns award.
An increase of over €200,000 has been added to the funding for street cleaning, with Tidy Towns grants also increasing by over €80,000.
Fine Gael Cllr John King acknowledged the great work done in the Budget, but urged the Council to increase funding for climate change issues.
Party colleague, Cllr Conor Bergin, and Independent Cllr Aisling Moran also advised the Council that drainage and flooding concerns deserved a bigger slice of the pie.
Funding for Climate Change and Flooding will increase by €80,000 from €228,000 to €308,000; but the bulk of that is earmarked for a new Climate Action Officer.
Maintenance of Land Drainage has been set at €482,500, which represents a rise of just €8,500 on last year’s budget – less than 2%.
Water Quality Management has received an increase of €253,000 up to €574,000 to help tackle water pollution.
SEE ALSO – Budget 2024: Over €30 million to be spent on housing in Laois next year
