LOCAL AUTHORITY ACTION PLANS ARE KEY TO HOUSING DELIVERY 
A key action of the Government’s 'Housing for All' strategy to tackle the housing crisis has directed all 31 local authorities to develop their own action plans in detailing social and affordable housing delivery over the next five years. So, how well are these plans currently progressing in councils across the country? ‘GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BUILD ON SOCIAL HOUSING SPEND’ SAYS ANALYST
Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst with Social Justice Ireland, points to an urgent need to build up social housing sector rather than subsidising a dysfunctional private rented sector. She claims that despite government commitments to increase the delivery of social housing units, a rising number of tenants are now forced into the private rental sector. VACANT PROPERTY REFURBISHMENT GRANT IS THE TALK OF THE TOWN
Under the new Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund scheme, first-time buyers will get up to €30,000 to refurbish a vacant property as their private residence, including extra funding of €20,000 to convert a derelict property which has not previously been used for residential purposes. SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR DRONES ACROSS LOCAL GOVERNMENT SECTOR
An international best practice report on Dublin City Council’s new initiative to accelerate the potential use of drones across the local government sector has predicted that thousands of such UAV flights will be in operation by 2030. GRADUATE PROGRAMME TO MENTOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) has partnered with the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme to recruit graduates with disabilities for a range of roles within several participating local authorities in areas such as HR, Climate and Environment, Community and Sport, Communications and ICT. WATERFORD’S NEW COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN – ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Measures contained in the Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028 will help the county continue to grow and become an even more attractive, prosperous, resilient and sustainable place, according to the Planning Regulator's Office. DUBLIN JOINS DIGITAL RIGHTS GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
Dublin has been selected as one of four European capital cities to pilot the Digital Rights Governance Framework to develop a foundational educational module on digital rights, ethics and privacy targeted at young people and local authority workers across these cities, over the coming years. PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION FUNDS INVESTMENT FOR SIX LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Seventeen projects selected for the Public Service Innovation Fund 2022 were awarded €725,000, including initiatives from Cork City Council, Dublin City Council, Waterford City & County Council, Leitrim County Council and Donegal County Council. COMMUNITY CLIMATE ACTION CHAMPIONS TO GO LOCAL
Graduates of Ireland's first climate action course will become community-based environmental ambassadors, following a pilot programme run by Laois County Council, in partnership with Laois and Offaly Education & Training Board, which may be rolled out nationwide. €186M APPROVED FOR CLONBURRIS SDZ IN SOUTH DUBLIN
Over €186m of Urban Regeneration and Development Funding (URDF) has been approved to support the €2.9bn regeneration programme at Clonburris SDZ in South Dublin, which will also enable the delivery of 8,700+ homes to accommodate 23,000 people up to 2030.