11 July 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Fine Gael Councillor, John Paul O’Shea has welcomed changes to grants for domestic wells which will see increased funding available to people in County Cork. The changes have come into place and are effective since June 2020.
Councillor O’Shea said, “Under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme, the Government has allocated €4 million in respect of grants for private water supplies (wells) for 2020. The funding is being provided to local authorities across the country under the National Development Plan 2018 – 2027 and Cork County Council will benefit. This year the means test has also been removed for funding for private water supplies. The maximum grant has increased – up to €3,000 for works to an existing well or up to €5,000 for a new well. The funding will support infrastructure improvements for private water supplies in rural areas of North Cork.
Cllr. O’Shea added
“This funding announcement builds on the significant investment already being made through the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme, to support the communities and the local economies of rural Ireland including here in Cork. The Government continues to work with local authorities and group water schemes to ensure that people living in rural Ireland have access to quality water services, equivalent to those living in urban areas.”
The announcement follows the introduction of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme 2019-2021, which made changes and improvements in how funding was targeted in relation to rural water services.
Key details of funding under this new measure are as follows:
Private water supplies
The removal of the means test requirement.
The maximum grant will increase from €2,031 to €3,000 for improvement works to an existing well.
The revised maximum grant payable for the provision of a new well is €5,000, where the housing authority agrees that this is the most appropriate solution.
Cllr. O’Shea concluded by saying “It’s important that rural communities receive the equity of treatment and financial support equivalent to those living in urban communities, and that they benefit from top quality water infrastructure and services. People living in rural communities are already benefiting from the funding under the seven measures of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme.
Full information and application forms are available at https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/individual-domestic-well-grants
