Motion demands action on roads maintenance budget

MID Ulster Councillor Sean Clarke has called on the Infrastructure Minister, Nicola Mallon to urgently address the funding hole in the Roads Structural Maintenance Budget.

The councillor claimed that “approximately £40m that has been lost this year due to legal wrangling” which he said has halted major resurfacing schemes in Mid Ulster and three other Council areas in the west.

“My motion to Council with the amendment agreed was supported by the whole Council. We have made our concerns known to the Minister and now the Minister must address the infrastructural deficit in the west,” said Cllr Clarke.

“There is an onus on the Minister to ensure that our Council areas in the west are not further left behind and neglected once more. The roads are already in need of repair and this £40million must be built in on top of the funding that would normally be available.”

“Naturally because Mid Ulster has a large road network and a very dense rural population that is the sector of our community which is most impacted. The more remote the population the more maintenance costs for vehicles due to damage and wear and tear.”

Cllr Clarke concluded, “I do recognise that our local TNI Officers work diligently to deliver as far as possible with inadequate resources, it is now time to provide them with sufficient funding to get the job done.”