COUNCILLORS in Rathkeale district this week called for the Active Travel team at Limerick City and County Council to be scrapped after they raised concerns about staffing costs.
Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey even questioned the reasoning for having an Active Travel team at all — with a staff of 23 currently within the Council — when the municipal districts, he claimed, are only getting €750,000 from their €20million allocation for a range of projects in 2025.
This, he felt, was an insult to the people in the Rathkeale district.
“What’s the rationale with having a communications officer when we already fund, within the local authority on the top floor, a communications department consisting of former TV presenters, journalists, and radio presenters? What is the story, lads?” Cllr Teskey petitioned the local authority.
“I can’t get over this. It’s a duplication of work. We approved a budget there last year and it is our reserve function in terms of communication to adjudicate all the expenses of the taxpayer. And what we’re seeing is, the more staff we have, the more depleted our resources are for all the capital works.”
Cllr Teskey, Cathaoirleach of the Adare-Rathkeale Municipal District, wanted the message to go back to Council headquarters that he is not happy with the funding allocated to his area. He suggested that the the Council management take a drive around the district to see firsthand the issues that need addressing.
“We want to spend money. We’ve had this dire situation in our area and in our housing estates, but we’ve been told continuously that we cannot get the funding,” Teskey fumed.
“The elephant in the room is that of the rates payable to Limerick City and County Council, the highest proportion is coming from the Rathkeale area. We pay in far greater than everyone else combined. As a result, all we get is peanuts.
“Why can’t the money be funded directly to our local area? What’s the need for all this bureaucracy? Forget your 23 staff and all your fancy names. Scrap the Active Travel,” he declared.
Cllr Stephen Keary took a similar view, suggesting that “we need another million and a half or two million out of that €20million. We need at least three million to equalise with the other areas,” Cllr Keary insisted.
“We’re paying for the sins of the city. They let the city go to rack and ruin over the years.”
Senior Engineer for Active Travel at LCCC, Sean McGlynn, told councillors that his department was predominantly made up of engineers. Funded by the National Transport Authority, every year, he explained, is a new year for the Active Travel team in regards funding allocation.
“Active Travel is a mixed bag. There’s technicians, engineers, and we have to get the information out. The majority of the work we do in-house and that’s why so many of these projects get over the line,” he concluded.
