Kerry TD slams government funding for local road improvements as 'utter codology'

A Kerry TD has slammed the government's funding allocation for local road improvements this year as 'utter codology'.

Sinn Féin's spokesperson for Transport, Deputy Pa Daly, says that the significant decrease in the Local Improvement Scheme, which he refers to as 'insulting', is an affront to the people of Kerry.

Deputy Pa Daly claims that many rural roads are in a 'desperate state' and in urgent need of repair, but that the necessary resources are lacking.

He says that while these cuts are happening across the country, Kerry's funding was slashed by 55%.

Deputy Daly says this means that less than half of last year's budget is available for Kerry.

He accused government-supporting TDs in Kerry of 'kite-flying' and misleading the public about efforts to improve local roads.

He added that over 600 roads in Kerry are on the waiting list for repair, which he alleges will take nearly 30 years at the current pace.

The Department of Transport had a €115.3 million capital underspend last year.

Deputy Daly says this underspend was nearly seven times the amount allocated to improving local roads in 2025.

In a statement to Radio Kerry News, the Department of Transport said:

On 14 February last, Ministers for Transport Darragh O’Brien, Seán Canney and Jerry Buttimer announced an investment programme of €713 million for regional and local roads in 2025.

This represents an overall increase of over 8% in funding this year for road and safety improvements on the vast interconnected regional and local road network.

In 2025, Kerry County Council received an allocation of €33,360,450, which is an increase of €3,219,340 on their 2024 initial allocation.

Minister O’Brien said: “My main priority is the ongoing maintenance and renewal of the regional and local road network, alongside strategic investment in developing and improving the road infrastructure network.

“Rehabilitation and maintenance is fundamental to keeping the network in a good condition, and a significant increase in funding has been provided for in 2025, with most of the funding going towards restoration of the network. This is essential for maintaining social and economic connectivity, linking people and places across the country.”

The Programme for Government also includes significant commitments for regional and local roads, focusing on infrastructure investment, safety enhancements and community connectivity.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from councils’ own resources and supplemented by state road grants.

The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.

The main focus of the grants continues to be the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network.