Reports suggest that an audit commissioned on behalf of the National Transport Authority, and completed by RSM consultants, found substandard record-keeping along with financial management issues in relation to €20 million of Active Travel schemes in 2023 and 2024.
Active Travel is one of the governments flagship schemes with €360 million of investment announced on 19 January this year.
In response to The Munster Express, Waterford Council have responded with the following statement:
“Waterford City and County Council welcomes the audits conducted by RSM (on behalf of the National Transport Authority), on Active Travel expenditure within County Waterford. Audits by their nature provide considerable opportunities for learnings and process improvements.
“In relation to these particular audits concerning Active travel expenditure in County Waterford during the years of 2023 and 2024, Waterford City and County Council has the following comments to make;
- Firstly, Waterford City and County Council would like to point out that all issues raised in these audits are procedural in nature, with no indication of serious wrongdoing identified.
- Notwithstanding the point above, Waterford City and County Council is committed to addressing all matters arising from these audits through established governance and control procedures.
- Where recommendations are made after an audit is conducted, these are considered and progressed in line with Waterford City and County Council’s ongoing commitment to compliance, transparency, and continuous improvement in the administration of public funds.
- Waterford City and County Council continues to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that all appropriate processes and controls are in place going forward.
“Not faceless funding”
Independent Councillor Donal Barry has provided The Munster Express with a substantial breakdown of the issue.
“The audit report into the Active Travel Scheme in Waterford City and County for 2023 and 2024 should stop people in their tracks. What it reveals goes far beyond “procedural failings”. In my view, it exposes a serious failure in how millions of euro of public money were overseen.
“This is not faceless funding. It is money paid by pensioners, carers, shift workers, and families struggling with rising costs. It comes from income tax, Local Property Tax, and a recent 15 per cent increase imposed on households across Waterford…”
“Key documents — invoices, tender records, and Conflict of Interest Declarations — were missing across projects involving approximately €20 million. These are not box-ticking exercises. They are basic safeguards designed to protect public funds. When they are missing, accountability breaks down,” continued Cllr. Barry.
“Projects totalling €1.4 million had no transaction numbers. Payments of €740,000 for land purchases and legal fees were unsupported by documentation. A project costing €550,000 had no conflict-of-interest records on file. Another project costing €67,000 had little or no paperwork available at all.”
“One case stands out. A project in Portlaw, with a reported cost of €700,000, was linked to incorrect project names and had no signed agreement on file — or possibly no agreement whatsoever. That means hundreds of thousands of euro spent without a clear written record of what was agreed, by whom, or on what terms. That alone should concern every taxpayer.
“The problems continued into 2024. The auditor examined four projects worth €7.5 million and could not verify payments to suppliers. Invoices totalling €540,000 showed no evidence of proper approval. One project costing €123,000 had no signed contract. In other cases, the Council did not even hold the project files.
“When concerns like these are raised, the explanation offered is that staff retired or moved on. But records do not retire. Systems do not walk out the door.”
“…People are being asked to pay more and accept less,” concluded Cllr. Barry.
“The very least they deserve is proof that their money is being properly managed. The audit raises serious questions about whether that happened. Those questions now demand clear answers.”
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
