‘Simply ridiculous!’ Longford councillor voices anger over exorbitant charges for 'moving poles and wires'
Councillor Garry Murtagh urged the local authority to write to Energy Minister Darragh O Brien, Communications Minister Patrick O Donovan to highlight the issue
Longford County Council are set to write to three Government Ministers 'highlighting the urgent need to change legislation around semi-state bodies charging local authorities exorbitant amounts of money' to move vital infrastructure.
The motion was brought by Fine Gael Councillor Garry Murtagh at the recent July local authority monthly meeting where he urged the local authority to write to Energy Minister Darragh O Brien, Communications Minister Patrick O Donovan and Housing Minister James Browne highlighting the situation.
The Colmcille-based public representative said it is simply 'ridiculous' that significant amounts of money are being charged to move vital infrastructure such as poles, wires and watermains that are deemed a health and safety issue for citizens and road users.
Cllr Murtagh said when Longford County Council undertake their daily works such as road improvements and low cost safety schemes there can be issues that cause delays and severely hit them in the pocket.
"All too often there is a telegraph pole or a ESB pole in the way.
"Longford local authority has to contact those agencies in order for them to come out and make it and it seems ridiculous that they are charging the local authority such amounts of money, from €2,000 up to €10,000.
"I think it's time now that the department took a look at that and started to work hand in hand with the local authorities instead of working against them.”
His party colleague, Legan-based Cllr Paul Ross seconded the motion which he praised and he described as being 'excellent' and 'very timely'.
"I have been at the other end of this and I see [Senior Engineer] Paul Newell has left the room, who wanted to move a post for an Eircom pole to bring a footpath one metre and the bill was €10,000.
"It is totally exorbitant and it eventually went to arbitration and I believe we got it for a figure less than that but it took two years.
"There was another case in Ballymahon over a long number of years where the broadband junction box and I think that bill was €500,000.
"They're pulling numbers out of the sky, totally stalling good jobs that we want to get done and we are literally being held to ransom by these companies.
"It has to change, we are all semi state, we are all working for the good of the state, but they are working against us."
Fianna Fáil Cllr Ureumu Adejinmi also supported the motion and the Longford Town representative stated there are examples of infrastructure that she believes the semi state bodies should have responsibility for taking down.
"In such a case the local authority is still being charged,” she said. "I think it is unacceptable and especially in relation to the infrastructure it should be the responsibility of the provider to get that taken off, especially when it is a safety issue."
Longford County Council said it will write to the three Ministers and it will request that consideration is given to a charging methodology review used by semi state bodies in relation to the costs of moving infrastructure such as poles, wires and watermains.
The local authority will also ask that, if necessary, that arrangements are made for the required legislative changes to be introduced.
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