The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
It should be noted that the main grant programmes funded by my Department are allocated on a "per kilometre" basis thus ensuring a fair and equitable approach for determining allocations to local authorities. The division of Department grant monies under the main programmes (Restoration Improvement, Restoration Maintenance and Discretionary Grant) between different local authority districts is decided at local level.
I have been emphasising to local authorities the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating own resources, including revenue from Local Property Tax receipts.
I expect to announce the 2016 grant allocations for regional and local roads in the near future.
