Concerns have been raised after it was revealed that the cost of removing fallen trees in the wake of Storm Isha cost Donegal County Council over €150,000.
The matter was raised after a motion was submitted by Councillor Patrick McGowan at this week’s Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District meeting.
According to figures provided to Cllr McGowan by Donegal County Council, the cost of clearing fallen trees was approximately €150,000.
Donegal Daily understands the costs reached such an extent in part because the Council utilised the services of private tree-cutters and landscaping companies to assist with the tree-felling and clear-up, as there were so many trees down that the council’s own roads staff could not complete the task alone.
Costs were also raised because it took multiple days to clear the county’s roads of trees that had fallen due to the extent of the damage caused.
Yet questions still remain as to how the costs could reach such an extent, even with the employment of private tree-cutters and landscaping companies.
Cllr McGowan says that the €150,000 is currently obligated to come out of the council’s road maintenance budget for the year, which he says must be refunded by the Government.
“The Department says ‘take it out of your road maintenance’ – but where’s the money for the potholes? All of the pothole repairs, drainage, gritting, comes out of the maintenance budget.”
Donegal County Council has applied for a grant from the Government to cover the tree-felling costs, but if that application is unsuccessful then the money must come out of the roads maintenance fund.
Cllr McGowan also says that part of the responsibility going forward will lie with landowners to take care of dangerous trees on their land that the Council cannot remove before they fall.
“Sometimes we are asked why is it that the council calls on landowners to cut any suspect/large trees? This (is why). If there is a tree that is leaning, has green ivy, or is in any way dangerous please cut it down,” Cllr McGowan urged.
“We get major storms now in July and August, luckily no one in Donegal was seriously hurt or killed in the last storms but if one of these dangerous trees come down then it could be completely different. Some of these are on major national primary roads, it’s madness.”
“We also have to ask questions about who’s paying for this, and if the council has to start asking if the taxpayer or the landowner has to pay for cutting down these old rotten trees (when they fall).”
