The Local Improvement Scheme provides funding for roads and laneways that Councils have not taken in charge. However, the maintenance and improvement of these is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. There is no separate allocation for the Local Improvement Scheme. Instead, local authorities may use up to 15% (up from 7% in 2013) of their initial Discretionary Grant towards local improvement schemes should they wish to do so. The local contribution for these schemes at a 20% monetary contribution towards the total cost of the project is the minimum required contribution.
Details of the 2014 regional and local roads grants were communicated to local authorities on 24 January and I note that Kerry County Council was allocated a Discretionary Grant of €3,264,800. This means that the Council can allocate up to €489,720 of this grant heading to the local improvement scheme if it so wishes. Furthermore, it is open to local authorities to supplement the percentage of their Discretionary Grant that they can use for the local improvement schemes with their own resources. As the Local Improvement Scheme is managed locally, it is a matter for the local authority to manage its own waiting lists and to prioritise works according to resources.
As I outlined in my response to the Deputy in PQ 52621 of 10 December 2013, County Councillor Allowances (CCAs) would not be considered eligible as a local contribution, as this would mean that all the funds for the project were coming from either the central exchequer or local authority resources and no community contribution was being made.
Some local authorities want the LIS. Others prefer to put the money into public roads. I think this decision is best made locally by the councillors themselves.
