Laois town might as well be ‘in the Congo’
Portarlington doesn't even have a bus shelter, despite being the third largest town in Laois and Offaly. File image
RESIDENTS of a Laois town might as well be living in the Congo as they lack the most basic infrastructure, a local councillor has declared.
Meanwhile, many councillors fumed that money is pouring into Portlaoise while residents of other towns and villages are ‘second-class citizens’.
Cllr Aidan Mullins said that Portarlington is the third largest town in Laois and Offaly but it doesn’t even have a bus shelter.
“You would think you were living out in the middle of the Congo,” cllr Mullins told the March meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District.
Fellow councillors also complained that towns and villages outside Portlaoise are being neglected by Laois County Council. Cllr Paschal McEvoy from Stradbally commented: “Once you leave Portlaoise, nothing happens basically. It’s like Dublin when you leave the M50.”
Cllr Ben Brennan agreed and said: “Portlaoise gets 90% of all the grants and we get the leftovers.”
Cllr Mullins proposed that the council ‘provide additional financial resources for the enhancement and upkeep’ of streetscapes, roundabouts and approach roads for Portarlington and other towns and villages in the municipal district.
The Independent councillor said he recently brought county council chief executive Michael Rainey on a drive around Portarlington and it was striking how neglected the town had become.
Cllr Mullins said: “From one end of the town to the other, you would be lucky to see two or three flower boxes that are put in by the council. The roundabouts should be upgraded. The first impression of a town lasts and it has an effect on other parts of the town.”
The Portarlington councillor said it was an entirely different situation in Portlaoise, where the council was able to pay contractors to maintain beautiful planting around the town.
Cllr Mullins added: “I am not here to take away from Portlaoise. The town looks fabulous and rightly so, as the county town. I just can’t understand why other towns aren’t entitled to the same resources.
“Portlaoise is the gold standard and there is no problem getting resources there. Portarlington and many other towns are relying on Tidy Towns groups who are doing fabulous work but it shouldn’t be left to volunteers.”
Cllr Mullins said that, while he was critical of derelict buildings and other negative visual aspects of Portlarlington, it was no reflection on the town’s council crew who did their best with limited resources.
Cllr Brennan described towns and villages outside Portlaoise as neglected and said they would be “in trouble” were it not for CE (Community Employment) schemes that kept areas looking well.
Independent Cllr Aisling Moran pointed out that Ballylinan had been looking for a bus shelter for nearly six years without success. She said: “I can’t understand how it is a two-tier system. Portlaoise gets everything and we get nothing.”
Cllr Pádraig Fleming from The Swan and cllr Vivienne Phelan from Stradbally also felt that towns and villages needed more resources. Cllr Phelan suggested the possibility of roundabout sponsorship and said: “Portlaoise is fantastic but I do think that our area, particularly the larger towns, needs a boost.”
In a written response to cllr Mullins’s proposal, acting director of finance Julie Bergin said: ‘Laois County Council acknowledges the importance of maintaining and enhancing the public realm, including streetscapes, roundabouts, and approach roads, to improve the appearance and liveability of Portarlington and other towns and villages within the municipal district (MD).
‘We will review the works required and provide the support necessary, within the financial constraints, ensuring investment is targeted towards high impact areas. The MD special projects allocation should also be considered for such works.’
