Fury over lack of CLÁR funding for County Cork
CORK RECEIVED JUST 3% OF NATIONAL TOTAL IN LATEST ALLOCATIONS - WITH NOTHING COMING TO NORTH CORK
COUNTY Cork is being seriously let down in relation to CLÁR funding, with the north Cork region in particular not receiving a single cent in allocations under the latest round of the programme.
The situation has incensed local politicians, prompting Cork North West Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan to raise the issue with the junior Rural and Community Development minister Seán Canney in Dáil Éireann on Tuesday.
He pointed out that of the €3.8 million allocated nationwide under the scheme, just €115,000 was allocated to Cork – representing just three per cent of the overall total.
“In north Cork, there was no funding at all. It all went to a number of projects in west Cork,” said Deputy Moynihan.
He pointed out that Minister Canney’s department had set out that Cork county was entitled to 15 priority projects under CLÁR, which provides funding for small infrastructural projects in rural areas that have experienced significant population decline.
These included traffic calming measures near the school in Knocknagree and other projects in Kanturk, Lyre and Millstreet that had been prioritised by Cork County Council.
Deputy Moynihan pointed out that just three of the 15 projects had been funded – none of which were in north Cork.
“CLÁR is vital in funding projects in rural communities such as Knocknagree, Kanturk, Lyre and Millstreet. Why was Cork only getting three per cent of the funding and why were the projects prioritised by Cork County Council not funded?”
He said that Cork was at a “great disadvantage” as its size is greater that six counties combined, saying that any six counties that would make up the landmass of Cork “would have far more projects funded”.
Deputy Moynihan said that Cork should be treated according to its three divisions (north, south and west) and that CLÁR funding should be allocated on a divisional basis. He said the northern division has a population of 90,000 and the southern division 150,000, pointing out that counties with smaller populations had received CLÁR funding.
“Let me return to my fundamental point. Projects were prioritised by our local authority and it was led to believe they would be funded under CLÁR. Why were they not funded?”
In reply, Minister Canney said there were almost 500 CLÁR applications received this year and that the funding sought for these “far exceeded the available budget”.
“Unfortunately, it was not possible to fund all of the projects for which applications were submitted,” said Minister Canney.
Deputy Moynihan asked Minister Canney if he accepted that his department had indicated, that if applied for, the 15 Cork projects would be successful.
“Does the Minister also accept that Cork should be treated differently because of its landmass, much of which is in the CLÁR region? I am referring in particular to the Duhallow region, where not one of the four projects received funding.”
Minister Canny refuted a suggestion by Deputy Moynihan that the money was going “up the west” of the country “with nothing coming down to Cork”, pointing out that three projects in county had been funded this year to the tune of almost €295,000.
He also pointed out that Cork had received €1.6 million in CLÁR between 2016 and 2018.
“I will continue to prioritise projects under CLÁR but we need to do so within the existing budgetary constraints. Since CLÁR’s reintroduction, Cork has not done to badly,” he said.
In reply to Deputy Moynihan’s comment that he could not understand why a school safety application was refused funding, Deputy Canny said that if there was a specific situation it could be looked at.