Broken Laois streetlights compared to a kicked horse at Cheltenham
'Kicking the same horse at every meeting' as long waits continue to fix broken lights
Laois councillors have drawn a link between a slow horse at Cheltenham and broken streetlights, in exasperation at a long wait for the lights to be fixed.
With the Cheltenham races underway in the UK in March, councillors in the Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District say they are "kicking the same horse" as they repeat complaints about the unsatisfactory service to repair public lights.
It was Fine Gael Cllr Conor Bergin who raised the matter, tabling a motion to Laois County Council to repair lights in the Kyle Manor estate in Borris-in-Ossory "as a matter of priority".
in reply, the area engineer James Dowling said they will arrange for the contractor to fix the lights.
Cllr Bergin is not convinced.
"I reported this a couple of times. It was flagged by the residents to the council last September. Five or six lights are not working. There's only five houses there, the estate wasn't finished, but they keep it well. The council took it in charge. Can a contractor get out there as soon as possible?" he asked.
Cllr Ollie Clooney claims it takes an average of a year to connect up a new streetlight to power.
"I't not good enough. We are kicking the same horse at every meeting," he said.
Cllr John King quipped "you wouldn't want that horse at Cheltenham. You'd get nowhere".
He said he does not think the service has improved following previous complaints and promised remedial action by the council.
"The service from Killary Lighting is not good enough," he said.
Cllr James Kelly said the number of streetlights waiting for repairs is "a joke".
Cllr Paddy Bracken described it as "disgraceful".
"I've lights out in Mountmellick for weeks. It's totally unacceptable, particularly in areas where elderly people are. We shouldn't accept it. If you had roads done like this would an engineer accept it? It's a poor standard, we should have our own crew and equipment and an electrician, there would be plenty of work for them," he said.
Mr Dowling had estimated the average wait to connect new lights to be five or six months.