Kildare County Council is told why ‘people lose faith‘ in it

A representative of the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) criticised Kildare County Council (KCC) for what she referred to as "empty promises" at a recent meeting.

Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer made her opinion known at the latest MD meeting, which was held on Wednesday, September 17 last.

At the meeting, Cllr O'Dwyer motioned for KCC prioritise two ongoing projects in Athgarvan: one involved road widening
upgrades, and the other project involved installing the push button pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights.

Her motion was seconded by her party colleague Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer.

Responding to Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer's motion, KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting that it does not currently have sufficient resources "to progress the road improvement scheme in Athgarvan in the short term".

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KCC added that it would "continue to work with the relevant developers to upgrade the pedestrian crossing".

However, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer told KCC that she was displeased with this response, and expressed her view that KCC was delivering "empty promises".

"I don't know why this is not a priority," Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer said. "This is why people lose faith in the council."

She also questioned "why so much staff are leaving KCC" — "it is affecting work on the ground," she added.

CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT

Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender was another councillor who expressed support for her motion at the meeting.

"It [the two projects] doesn't seem to be going anywhere at present," he told KCC, while Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer remarked that the situation was "exasperating".

In addition, Independent Cllr Tom McDonnell also expressed his frustration with KCC: "This is the reason why I haven't put any motions forward for today. We ask for things to be done and they don't end up happening."

He emphasised that his lack of motions for the day was a form of "protest".

"What is the point of us being councillors if we can't get works done?" Cllr McDonnell asked KCC.

Lastly, the Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fáil Cllr Noel Heavey, told KCC: "I totally agree with my peers; the report [from KCC] is a stock answer."

Replying to the councillors' comments, a representative for KCC asserted the two projects in Athgarvan are still a priority for the council, but added: "We have to juggle different projects."

They further said that KCC would commit to providing a timeline for the projects (This prompted Fianna Fáil Cllr Suzanne Doyle to suggest KCC to place the matter on a progress report).

Addressing Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer's question about staff levels at KCC, the representative replied: "All local authorities have high turnover rates."

Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer. File photograph

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