Council spent just €205k of €4.5m active travel funding
Westmeath County Council spent only €205,000 of the €4.5m it was allocated last year to develop active travel routes around the county.
According to figures from the Department of Transport, the council spent less than five per cent (€205,038) of the €4.5m it was allocated in 2021 to develop walking and cycling infrastructure in the county, one of the lowest spends of any local authority in the country. This year the council has been allocated €4m, of which it has spent just over €1.6m.
In a statement, the council said that one of the main factors in the low spend last year was “the well documented issue of construction sector capacity”.
“Westmeath County Council received the 2021 Active Travel Allocation on 29 March 2021. The Council’s Active Travel Team was approved by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in December 2021. Some staff were assigned to the team and others were and are being recruited.
“The allocations provided to the council for both 2021 and 2022 consist of a mix of short term and longer-term projects.
“All projects must be delivered in line with the NTA Project Approval Guidelines through a number of phases including planning and design, statutory approvals, consultation, procurement and construction and therefore take time to progress from a standing start to a pipeline of projects at various stages. A significant challenge here is the well documented issue of construction sector capacity.
“Westmeath County Council is committed to Active Travel and to the delivery of existing projects and the development and delivery of new programmes for the future.”
The Mayor of Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District, Cllr Hazel Smyth of the Green Party said that she hopes the council can do “significantly better” this year.
“In the midst of a climate crisis and energy crisis, active travel is needed more than ever. It is disappointing to learn that Westmeath County Council only spent €205,038 of the €4.5m allocated to it in 2021. The money is there, now we action. Our community should have safer paths and cycleways, and now is the time to deliver that for the people of Westmeath. I hope that we can do significantly better in 2022 and make active travel a real priority.”