BOOKLET DOCUMENTS IRELAND’S 1920 LOCAL ELECTIONS

To commemorate the centenary of Ireland's local elections, the Local Government Archivists and Records Managers has published a booklet ‘Democracy and Change: The 1920 Local Elections in Ireland’ on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.

MAYO MARKS 2020 WITH RECORD NUMBER OF AWARDS

Mayo County Council made its mark in style at this year’s Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards by winning the ‘Local Authority of the Year’ award, in addition to a hat-trick of category wins, while it was also shortlisted in two other categories.

SDCC ZONES ADAMSTOWN FOR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

South Dublin County Council has recently started work on the construction of three significant infrastructure projects at the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone, it is expected that the €20m development will be completed in 2022.

MEATH SETS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

With huge parallels between the actions adopted in response to Covid-19 and those which need to be adopted to embed the Sustainable Development Goals, Meath County Council has become the first local authority to set up a dedicated Climate Action and SDG Team.  

REGENERATION ON TRACK AT LIMERICK’S COLBERT STATION

Limerick City and County Council and the Land Development Agency are driving regeneration and affordable housing development as part of a mixed-use city quarter initiative in the area surrounding Colbert Station, with community consultation set to continue.

METROPOLITAN PLAN SETS FRAMEWORK FOR WATERFORD

Waterford’s Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan provides a framework for the area's sustainable development, and is part of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region.

NEW ACTION PLAN SETS TARGETS TO TACKLE WASTE

Measures to tackle waste planning and management to move Ireland towards a circular economy under the new National Waste Policy 2020-2025 were recently announced by Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

WDC PLANS FOR BALANCED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Tomás Ó Siochán, CEO of the Western Development Commission, outlines how his Commission’s statutory role of supporting balanced social and economic development in western and north-western counties, in addition to a five-year strategy (2019-2024), sits with the Programme for Government.

PROJECT IN THE PIPELINE FOR WATERFORD NORTH QUAYS

Planning permission has been granted by Waterford City and County Council for the North Quays SDZ - an eight-hectare real estate mixed-use scheme, which is ambitious in scale and innovative in design.

LOCAL AUTHORITIES SET TO LEAD ON CLIMATE ACTION

The CCMA is collaborating with the Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) to develop a strategy to meet the scale and ambition of the Local Authority Climate Action Charter, writes David Mellett, CARO Co-ordinator for the Atlantic Seaboard North.

CIF CALLS FOR €15BN INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOUSING PACKAGE

An additional investment of €15bn over the next six years in infrastructure and housing is essential to overcome the impact of Covid-19 in the short-term and to solve the housing and climate change crises in the long-term, according to the Construction Industry Federation.

RESPONSE BY HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS TO COVID-19 CHALLENGE

Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) members have had to adapt rapidly to the changing demands due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Donal McManus, ICSH Chief Executive, outlines their measures to meet the challenges over the last few months.

MINISTER CALLS ON PROPERTY OWNERS AND DEVELOPERS TO ACT NOW

Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has issued a national call to property owners and developers to make vacant properties available for use as social housing.

EU GREEN DEAL POINTS TO GROWTH IN GREEN ECONOMY

The European Commission’s Green Deal aims to reach climate neutrality across Europe by 2050, and the Irish Green Building Council is leading projects to support local authorities and industry during this transition, according to Pat Barry, IGBC's CEO and Co-Founder.

BLUEPRINT FOR EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 CRISIS

Local authorities can make use of a ready-made blueprint for an equal and effective community response to Covid-19 under the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty, which forms a key part of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014, says Sinéad Gibney, newly appointed Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

COMPETITION OPEN TO FIND EUROPE’S GREENEST CITIES

With the competition now open to find the EU's greenest cities, applications for the 2023 European Green Capital and 2022 European Green Leaf Awards need to be submitted by 28 October 2020.  

HOUSING FIRST MODEL ROLLED OUT IN THE MID-EAST REGION

Peter McVerry Trust will work closely with county councils in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow to deliver the latest Housing First initiative in the mid-east region, where the immediate focus will be on an active settlement approach to help people with complex needs.

TIME TO ‘THINK SMART’ ABOUT THE FUTURE!

Kilkenny LEADER Partnership has funding available for planning, training, capital and marketing to make rural communities more sustainable for generations to come. Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan told a ‘Smart Villages’ workshop that KLP’s initiative could be duplicated elsewhere to help communities in rural Ireland.

KILDARE ROLLS OUT SOCIAL HOUSING IN RATHANGAN

Kildare County Council’s latest social housing scheme, under Rebuilding Ireland’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, has seen the delivery of 18 new properties to families and individuals in Rathangan who are on the council’s social housing list, with one unit allocated using the Choice-Based Letting Scheme.

‘REIMAGINED’ CORK CITY RAPIDLY RESPONDS TO COVID-19

With 14 people-friendly places now rolled out by Cork City Council, its ‘Reimagining of Cork City’ plan has enabled changes to the configuration of city streets, traffic, modes of transport and quality of life. The main focus is support local business while creating a more liveable safer city.

CLANN’S AGE-FRIENDLY HOUSING AT YOUR SERVICE

With over 700 properties in management, Clann has the largest age-friendly social housing development programme in Ireland. Clann aims to address the growing demand for innovative housing for older people by delivering over 800 new homes before the end of 2022.

MEATH COUNCIL STAFF THRIVE ON GREATER ENGAGEMENT!

Meath County Council’s user-friendly employee engagement app is now available for both indoor and outdoor staff on mobile and computer desktops, with the full roll out of Thrive.App, following the council’s successful pilot project last year.

MORE COMMUNITIES SET THEIR SITES ON CONSERVATION!

Since 2016, the Heritage Council has encouraged communities around Ireland to take a more active role in maintaining monuments in their area through the ‘Adopt A Monument’ scheme, which will be reviewed next year to measure how well it is meeting the needs of the community, best conservation practice and the aims of the Council. 

DONEGAL LEADS THE TRAIL TOWARDS RURAL RECOVERY

Donegal County Council is the lead partner of the new Atlantic Area Trail Gazers Project, which aims to stimulate rural community growth by linking walking and recreational pathways in areas of natural, built and cultural heritage with the surrounding towns and villages.

DODDER VALLEY GREENWAY HITS THE ROAD

South Dublin County Council’s Dodder Greenway is being developed to be one of international renown and on a par with the best greenways in the world. It will utilise existing facilities within the Dodder Valley as much as possible to connect the linear parkland along the 14km route.

THE ELECTED VOICE FOR CITY AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS

Cllr Mick Cahill’s time at the helm of Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) has seen a progressive vision take hold, linking both local and national politics. The Longford Councillor outlines his presidential priorities for a national organisation that represents the elected members of Ireland’s 31 local authorities.

LATEST PLANS SET TO BLOOM IN GARDEN COUNTY

Wicklow’s County Development Plan for 2021-2027, which incorporates economic development, settlement strategy, tourism and retail strategy, climate change, green infrastructure, sustainable transport and town planning, was announced at the Wicklow County Council Business Briefing for 2020.  

TAPPING INTO TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE COMPO CLAIMS

Larry Fenelon, solicitor and co-founder of a legal tech company, outlines how technology is helping local authorities to reduce public liability claims by delivering appropriate solutions to digitally collate the correct data.

OFFSHORE WIND PARK TO DOCK IN ARKLOW HARBOUR

Arklow Harbour has been chosen by SSE Renewables as its preferred base for an offshore wind park, which will help County Wicklow to achieve its goal of becoming a Centre of Excellence for the Offshore Renewable Energy sector.

€7.7M NETTED FOR TALLAGHT STADIUM UPGRADE

South Dublin County Council has invested €7.7m to upgrade Tallaght Stadium that includes the building of a new North Stand and the development of the West Stand to a high-quality corporate area.

HAT TRICK OF ELG AWARDS IN 2019 FOR FINGAL

With this year's Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards to be presented on 26 November, ‘Council Review’ looks back at the ‘Local Authority of the Year’ Award winner for 2019 – Fingal County Council – who also scooped the ‘Best Practice in Citizen Engagement’ and ‘Festival of the Year’ category awards.