The Minister for the Environment last night urged local authorities to accelerate their efforts to resurface roads following a report which showed a decrease in road surfacing works undertaken last year.
The report, which shows the performance of all local authorities in 2005, showed a 9 per cent decrease in the amount of road surfacing undertaken last year compared to 2004.
Responding to the report, the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, said he would expect to see an increase in the amount and area of road surface dressed this year, especially in light of the increased funding available to local authorities for such maintenance works.
Compiled by the Local Government Management Services Board, the 238-page report shows the full range of local authority activities, including housing, water, planning, fire service, environment, and finance.
The report, which was described by Mr Roche as providing a "valuable snapshot" of local authority performance, was generally complimentary of the work and services provided by the local authorities.
It noted, however, an increase in the number of loan arrears which are more than three months old and a decrease in the number of prosecutions taken for non-payment of on-the-spot fines for litter.
In general, an overall improvement was noted in the time it takes fire services to arrive at the scene of a call out, with almost half of all units arriving in less than 10 minutes.
In the context of housing, repairs completed by local authorities increased by over 3 per cent last year, while the percentage of buildings inspected also increased despite the sustained activity in the construction sector.
The report also relayed a positive account of the percentage of households which have a segregated collection of waste provided directly by the local authorities.
While the percentage of material collected from householders and recycled has risen from 16.7 per cent in 2004 to 20.2 per cent last year, materials collected and landfilled has declined from 82 per cent in 2004 to 77.5 per cent in 2005.
The percentage of "litter-free" areas increased from five per cent to over 6 per cent, while "grossly polluted" areas decreased. Much of the improved recycling and litter-free areas was attributed to the increase in bring banks and civic amenity sites.
Mr Roche noted that while a variety of factors can influence the relative performance of local authorities, the "real challenge" for each local authority is to put in place a strategy to ensure that its own performance is improved on an ongoing basis.
Local authorities will now be required to review their performances across the range of areas assessed.