Calls for council to 'immediately' engage with ESB over faulty street lighting

A Fianna Fáil councillor has called on Kildare County Council to “immediately” engage with the ESB to improve the long delays in repairing faults in public lighting in the Clane-Maynooth Municipal District.

Cllr Daragh Fitzpatrick told this month's Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting that there have been numerous power outages in the MD of which he had personally reported two.

These consisted of “five or six” street lights in one area, and “five or six” street lights in another area, he said.

“It's going on forever, and you just keep asking questions and it gets frustrating”, he added.

He said he had received several correspondences from concerned residents, and he found it “frustrating” that the council's report noted that the council “does not have a formal contract or Service Level Agreement (SLA) with ESB networks."

He said that he also found it “frustrating” dealing with ESB networks on such issues in general.

READ NEXT: New all-weather football pitch proposed for this Kildare region

Cllr Fitzpatrick noted that with the days becoming longer coming into spring, there will be “no need” for the lighting by the time ESB networks gets to addressing the problem.

The lights have been out in some areas, he claimed, “for the entire winter season”, and it was “just frustrating”, which is why he put the motion forward.

A council official told Cllr Fitzpatrick that this is a “national issue”, for which other MDs have put motions down.

He noted it is “very difficult to prioritise anything”, but the council is looking at addressing “clusters” of lighting issues and getting the ESB engaged.

The council is “working hard” on its relationship with ESB, the official stated.

A report issued by the local authority stated that the council “does not have a formal Contract or Service Level Agreement (SLA) with ESB Networks (ESBN)” in relation to street lighting.

The current process, the report continued, commences with KCC submitting an ESB Networks Service Request or Fault Report when an issue arises.

The report stated: “We are dependent on ESBN availability, lights may remain unrepaired for extended periods due to this lack of control. At present, Kildare County Council does not have any leverage to compel ESB to respond more quickly.

“We acknowledge that some street lights in the municipal district are experiencing long repair times, and we are actively engaging with the ESB to address these issues.”