Roundabout slots to go to highest bidder

Westmeath’s roundabouts can be sponsored by any company, regardless of where they are based, as long as they make the highest bid.

That’s the message from Westmeath County Council, which is continuing its roundabout sponsorship scheme for a second year after it generated €11,000 in 2015.

The council came under fire from members of the business community in Mullingar last summer when it emerged that Michael Moore Car Sales from Athlone had sponsored two prominent roundabouts – one on Dominick Street, and the other on the C-Link close to a number of competitors.

However, despite the criticism directed at the council, director of services Barry Kehoe says that the sponsorship of a roundabout will go to the business that makes the highest bid.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) on Monday week last, Mr Kehoe said that while sponsorship was secured for nine roundabouts last year, there are between 20 and 30 roundabouts included in this year’s scheme.

He also revealed that roundabouts in the centre of towns, such as the Dominick Street roundabout in Mullingar will be excluded “as such signage can have a detrimental impact in terms of clutter and visual impact”.

Although the scheme generated controversy in Mullingar, Mr Kehoe said that it achieved its two objectives – raising additional income and allowing businesses to advertise.

Welcoming the news that the scheme was going to run for a second year, Cllr Una D’Arcy said that she didn’t agree with the criticism levelled at the council last summer.

She added that it was not good business to tell would-be sponsors which roundabouts they could or could not sponsor.

Cllr John Dolan said that he couldn’t see the problem with Michael Moore Car Sales sponsoring roundabouts in Mullingar as it is a “regional business”.

Cllr John Shaw said that one of the problems last year was that many businesses were unaware of the pilot scheme until it was too late to lodge a bid.

Mr Kehoe told the Fianna Fáil man that there is a lot more awareness about the scheme this year and that the council would start advertising for sponsors in mid-March.