Michael Ring T.D., the Minister for Rural and Community Development, has announced that he has allocated €988,235 to Mayo County Council for improvements to rural private roads in Mayo under the 2018 Local Improvement Scheme (LIS ) which is overseen by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
This is the second round of LIS funding announced by Minister Ring in 2018. Earlier this year, the Minister allocated €855,000 for Mayo for improvements to private rural roads.
Minister Ring said: "The LIS makes a huge difference to people who live in remote rural areas. 155 roads in Mayo have been improved and upgraded since I re-introduced the scheme last year. This further allocation of almost €1 million will allow for many more roads in the county to be improved.
"This scheme is a lifeline for people living in rural areas because it directly improves their access to and from their homes and farms. Many people living and working in rural areas use these roads every time they enter or leave their home or farm, so the condition of their access road really impacts on them. Investing in the improvement of these roads really makes a positive impact on people’s quality of life in rural areas.
"This is about improving small roads and laneways in rural Ireland which are not under the normal maintenance of the local authorities. Many lanes and boreens which link private homes and farms are not on the public road network and so are not maintained by Mayo County Council. The Local Improvement Scheme is therefore a very valuable support for rural families and businesses that use these roads on a daily basis."
Minister Ring continued: "I reintroduced dedicated funding for the LIS in September 2017, after a gap of eight years. I know that the reintroduction of the scheme has already made a huge difference for rural communities in Mayo and around the country. Mayo County Council is responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme.
"I cannot overstate how important local connectivity is in order to enable rural Ireland to function well. The Action Plan for Rural Development prioritises improving rural infrastructure and connectivity, and continuing to support an LIS scheme is just one of the measures we are taking in that regard."
