MEMBERS of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council have hit out at the state of rural roads during a meeting of the Environment Committee.

Correspondence from the Minister of Infrastructure, Nicola Mallon, referenced historical underinvestment in roads, but in a direct response to concerns raised by councillors last month, advised there is “no significant level” of staff vacancies in the Fermanagh and Omagh area depots.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Bert Wilson, who contacts the Department on a regular basis, said: “It’s very seldom you can get anybody. You do get a person, but it’s none of the staff. It’s not good enough.

"Whether that’s the maintenance budget or whatever, it’s nowhere near what’s needed, or else they’re not spending it very well. The roads are in an awful state, and not getting any better.”

Pointing to some repairs, he added: “A 10-year-old child could have done better. They’re a disgrace!”

Councillor Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein stated: “We have a real crisis here in the state of our rural roads; we can’t say it often enough.

"We’re not interested in scoring points – it's about getting the roads sorted.

"We’re a largely rural council area, and we’re getting it in the neck from our people who think the Council are Roads Service. Even though local government lost that remit in 1973, it’s still carried over to the present day.

"But we are merely a voice which we are using because the state of our roads is diabolical in very many cases.”

He pointed out phone calls come in from people wanting to know how to claim compensation after their car, for example, hits a pothole.

“They contact the Department, who may deny liability because they were unaware of that particular pothole as it wasn’t picked up on the last inspection. We need to get to grips with our rural roads.”

Councillor McElduff took issue with the Minister’s response around the level of vacancies in the area depots, when in the same letter she referred to a recruitment drive later this year.

He said: “I am challenging the Minister, because there is a significant level of vacancies in our depots. We’re being told they are down to half the staff they had five years ago.

"Relations are becoming techy between some of our councillors and DfI Roads.

"Every time we ask for something, or lobby for roads, we’re being made to feel bad, because they don’t have the staff or the resources. There is a crisis.”

Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh, Independent, echoed the contradiction of supposedly no shortage of staff when in the same breath there is recruitment ongoing.

“We can hold individuals to account all we like, but the figures are there in black and white. The Minister claims her Department is bidding for additional funding of £17.2 million for structural maintenance in the current year, but only £2 million has been allocated.

"That’s just a little over 10 per cent. So 90 per cent sought to improve roads has been withheld.

"You can blame the Minister, but the last speaker is in the same party of the person who allocates the money. It’s no use crying about it at this level.

"More money for maintenance has to be put in by Stormont, which takes 55 per cent of all rates collected. What are we getting for that?”

Sinn Fein’s Councillor Chris McCaffrey remarked: “There seems to be no action or urgency from this Minister whatsoever. We need to be clear, it’s a question of priorities, and at the minute – for whatever reason – the Minister does not see Fermanagh as a priority.”

But, hitting back, the SDLP’s Councillor John Coyle found it laughable some members were claiming there was no political point-scoring when they were trying to “rubbish” the Minister.

He said: “[Minister Mallon] committed to rural roads, and has in the past. In 2016, there were major redundancies in the civil service, and the two main parties had a hand in that reorganising and letting people go.

"Most of this went from the Department for Infrastructure. We are committed. The roads need to be sorted, so the Minister for Finance really needs to give the funding.”

Concluding the discussion, Councillor Catherine Kelly, Sinn Fein told members when she reported a very bad pothole, she was advised to: “Tell the drivers to make a claim, rather than have the pothole repaired even on an emergency basis.

"I found it incredible that it was more cost-effective for the Department to pay claims than it was to repair the road.”