ESB connection delays in Laois 'scandalous' claims councillor
Laois councillors have slammed the length of time it takes for ESB connections in Laois as “scandalous” and “unacceptable”.
Councillors are demanding a faster service from the Government owned company to power new streetlights and houses in Laois.
This June at the Laois County Council meeting, the national electricity supplier came under fire.
Cllr Ollie Clooney sparked the discussion with his motion to “demand a cut in connection times for new houses and streetlighting, etc”.
“I acknowledge the great work the ESB did since the foundation of the state, putting light into rural Ireland.
“They give a huge profit back to the Government each year. The standard of employment was always good. The backlog is unacceptable. Everyone knows that if you put up a streetlight, it’s a year to wait for it to be connected.
“New houses can’t send a cert until an electrician gives it the all clear. Then they can wait another three months for connection. If that line is not up to standard, a new line can mean a wait of up to six months. We are not a third world country but this is a third world service. They have to address this issue and address it now.
Cllr Willie Aird seconded the motion.
“There should be a time limit on applications and completion. You could have a house complete and be waiting six or seven months.
Cllr Ben Brennan said that he has a streetlight up in his area of east Laois awaiting a connection for 14 months.
“The ESB won’t come out. A streetlight was taken down by the ESB but the money wasn’t given back to the council. It’s scandalous. They are let get away with it. They come when they like and we can do nothing about it,” he claimed.
Cllr Aidan Mullins said an elderly gent who urgently needed a streetlight in his area of Portarlington was left waiting over a year and a half to have it connected to the grid.
“The response is the same whether it’s public lighting or housing schemes. Nobody seems to be accountable. They are a law unto themselves. This work is paid for in advance. Is this a lack of resources or personnel?” he asked.
Cllr Aisling Moran points out that the ESB is “96.9% owned and funded by the Government”.
“Why is it taking so long? Where else would you pay in advance and be left waiting for over a year?” she said.
Cllr Barry Walsh suggests a penalty if a customer is waiting longer than a month for a connection.
“There doesn’t seem to be accountability,” he said.
ESB Networks in response say they have recruited seven new electricians and hired contractors to keep up with “unprecedented” demand in the Portlaoise region.
A spokesperson gave the following statement to the Leinster Express.
“ESB Networks Portlaoise has delivered 463 new connections in the year-to-date (end of May 2023). This is up from 180 new connections during the same period last year.
“ESB Networks Portlaoise is delivering an unprecedented number of connections during 2023 – the third-highest connection rate nationally for a rural area.
“The construction team at ESB Networks Portlaoise is augmenting their resources with contractors to shorten delivery times for new connections.
“ESB Networks Portlaoise has recently recruited seven additional electricians to aid delivery of the increase of new connection applications.
“ESB Networks Portlaoise, despite the increase of new connection applications, is delivering 77 per cent of new connections within its service level agreement year-to-date in 2023.”