'We're blamed and that is so so wrong' - Mayo rural roads backlog

West Mayo politicians say Mayo's LIS roads scheme is leaving residents waiting, as officials stress funding is the problem

By Jack Good Published 2nd Oct 2026, 18:30 BST Rural road just outside Westport, Co Mayo | Mayo News West Mayo politicians say Mayo's LIS roads scheme is leaving residents waiting, as officials stress funding is the problem Councillors in the Westport Belmullet Municipal District have voiced frustration over the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), saying a growing backlog of rural roads is going unrepaired while they take the blame.

Council officials responded that LIS is run by the roads section, not by elected members, and that demand far outstrips available money.

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The debate began when Cllr John O'Malley asked whether a second round of LIS roads would be funded this year. Heather Gibbons, Senior Executive Engineer with Mayo County Council , said the council was "in communication with the Department" on the matter. Cllr O'Malley said he was “very disappointed” with the scheme, claiming that none of the roads he had put forward had been done apart from one leading to a graveyard.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy said every councillor has “a LIS list as long as our arm” and argued that long-standing roads need to be prioritised. He acknowledged the council's role but called for a conversation about “historic” roads that “need to be sorted.”

Cllr Paul McNamara said his own list stood at 12 or 14 roads and that councillors were creating “false pretences” by helping people fill out applications and then fielding calls about why work hadn't happened.

He also raised a problem affecting rural homebuyers. A constituent's mortgage had been declined in recent weeks because they could not prove ownership of the road serving their property or obtain a letter confirming it was in the council's care. Cllr McNamara noted that planning permissions on such roads carry contributions towards footpaths and roads, “and yet the people cannot get the road done.”

Officials repeated that councillors do not decide which schemes go ahead. Ms Gibbons said the decision lies with the roads section within the district. Seamus O Mongain, Head of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District, said the council does not have the funding to service all the roads, though it tries each year. He said Mayo County Council had written to the Department twice seeking more money and had received a response.

New GP set to start in Westport in December brings relief to Mayo patients Ms Gibbons said construction costs were forcing the council to drop roads. “The demands are just far outweighing what we're getting in our budgets, and that's just a matter of fact,” she said.

Cllr Sean Carey said the government funding was “not sufficient at all” and that allocations were entirely at the discretion of council engineers. He called for funding to be quadrupled compared with this year.

Cllr Chris Maxwell said it was “not our fault as councillors that the roads aren't being done.” He said that if people waiting on LIS roads withheld their local property tax, “it would be hard to blame them.” He warned that public frustration was “at boiling point,” contrasting what he described as wasteful spending elsewhere with households who cannot get their roads done or their hedges cut.

Both Cllr Maxwell and Cllr O'Malley highlighted the Sraheen Road, which Cllr Maxwell called “treacherous.” Cllr O'Malley said the local bus uses it every Friday to bring older people shopping, and that passengers are shaken as the bus passes through an unrepaired section. It would be "a very important road to get done," he said.

Cllr O’Malley said that “the local link bus uses that road to take the elderly people to their shopping from that area every Friday, and their teeth are shook in their head” driving on it.

Cllr O'Malley also criticised the way allocations are publicised. He said that when a minister or TD announces that a sum has been allocated, the public assumes their own road will be done and phones councillors. He said announcements should make clear that councils have no control over LIS money and that requests carry no guarantee.