Laois receives €1.1m to upgrade rural roads and laneways

Laois has received over €1.1 million under the government's Local Improvement Scheme (LIS)  for repairs and improvement works on non-public rural roads and laneways.

Nationwide a record €40 million LIS allocation was announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD on Tuesday. 

Laois is set to receive a €1,106,270 share from that pot. 

Speaking as she announced the allocation, Minister Humphreys said: “LIS is a critical source of funding for small non-public roads not normally maintained by local authorities.

“It’s a fantastic scheme under which the homeowners and farmers who use the lane make a small local contribution and the Government provides the balance of funding to ensure that people can access their homes and farms on good quality surfaces.

Minister Humphreys continued: “I am also amending the LIS criteria so that only one herd number will be required for a valid LIS application. Up to now, two herd numbers were required to be using the lane. I am making this change in response to feedback I have received from local representatives and it will ensure that more families can now qualify for the scheme.

“I am also aware that Local Authorities need to carry out LIS works when weather conditions are favorable. In recognition of this and in order to help local authorities better plan their work programmes, I am providing greater flexibility so that Local Authorities can use their allocation throughout 2024 and 2025."

It was recently revealed that Laois roads section outperformed all other councils in delivering Local Improvement Schemes in the past three years. 58 schemes with a total value of €2.6 million have been carried out between 2021 and 2024.