Waterford City and County Council's funding application for over 1.15 million euro for infrastructural damage caused by Storm Emma has been turned down.
The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government deemed the application ineligible under the parameters of a scheme allowing local authorities to recoup money after the Beast from the East hit Ireland last March.
However, the council was granted over half a million euro for clean-up works in the wake of the storm.
Independent Councillor Davy Daniels said it was serious money that has been refused by the Department.
"I find it hard to understand, the money had been guaranteed by the Minister after the storm and after the snow... I don't want to be negative, we've been kicked around on a lot of issues lately, but we made the application, they said the money was coming and now it's not coming. We could put in a lot of footpaths for that."
Director of Services Fergus Galvin told Councillors Waterford Council had gone back to the Department 'for another go', and is currently in discussion for the capital works relating to long-term damage. Mr Galvin told Davy Daniels he's 'optimistic' that the council will get the majority of funding for infrastructural works.
"I'm getting very positive indications from them they will fund a substantial proportion of that, if not all of it."
