AWARD-WINNING STREAK FOR MAYO COUNTY COUNCIL

Mayo County Council made its mark at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards 2020 by winning ‘Local Authority of the Year’, scoring a record hat-trick of category wins, and was also shortlisted in two other categories.

MEETING CLIMATE TARGETS FOR 2030 IS IN OUR HANDS

A radical shift in gear is required to meet Ireland’s climate targets for 2030, according to Prof John Fitzgerald, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council. He says that with limited resources, the policy focus must be on delivering cost-effective, socially sustainable and environmentally compatible measures that achieve decarbonisation and climate resilience by 2050.

OPR REPORT OUTLINES PLANS FOR IRELAND’S FUTURE

Over the next six years the State’s planning oversight body will evaluate close to 200 draft plans to measure how well they align with existing planning policy and regulatory requirements, State Planning Regulator Niall Cussen noted following the launch of the OPR’s Annual Report for 2019.

FOUR IRISH COUNCILS REACH FINAL OF INNOVATION IN POLITICS AWARDS 2020

County councils from Clare, Fingal, Meath and South Dublin were the Irish finalists in the European Innovation in Politics Awards for 2020, for projects ranging from age-friendly housing, urban rejuvenation to community arts and playground facilities.

FIVE-YEAR STRATEGY TO ASSIST LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

The Irish Local Development Network’s five-year strategic plan aims to enable the local development sector to build and deliver for rural and urban communities. It has also taken account of the Covid-19 challenge, which has seen over 2,200 individuals daily seeking the assistance of local development companies nationwide.

FINGAL APPROVES NEW €767M CAPITAL PROGRAMME

The new €767m three-year Capital Programme approved by Fingal County Council sets out significant investment on projects across the county, with a strong emphasis on the delivery of housing, active travel measures and the expansion of greenway infrastructure.  

COLLABORATING TO MEET COVID & BREXIT CHALLENGES

The importance of cross-border collaboration to deal with the challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit and to deliver on the planned regional growth projects were outlined to attendees at a recent virtual North West Strategic Growth Partnership meeting.

EU FUNDING FOR FIVE IRISH WORKPLACE INITIATIVES

8Cork City Council is one of four EU consortium partners of the Horizon 2020 project, which is funding workplace innovation practices to support and drive competitiveness across the SME sector. Five Irish SMEs have received grant-aid of €7,500 each under the European Start at Best project to support their own workplace initiatives.  

LOCAL AUTHORITY EMPLOYEES THRIVE ON GREATER ENGAGEMENT

Local authorities are all about a sense of community, with future planning to improve the quality of life for everyone. So, a sense of community within the workplace should be as equally important for your council employees, according to James Scott, CEO of Thrive.

PUBLIC SECTOR SUCCESS AT SEAI ENERGY AWARDS

Dublin City Council, NUI Galway and SSE Airtricity Energy Services were among the winners of the SEAI Energy Awards 2020, announced by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) during an online awards ceremony.

UK HOME SWAP SERVICE EXPANDS TO DUBLIN AND CORK

A UK online home exchange service has landed in Dublin and Cork, thereby enabling council tenants in both cities to swap properties for free. The overall aim is to roll out the HomeSwapper service to all social tenants in Ireland during 2021.

E-VOTING FROM HOME TOPS THE POLL IN IRELAND!

The majority of Irish people favour electronic voting from home in future elections and referendums, in addition to the introduction of a national identity card, according to the survey findings by the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software.

WDC SUPPORTS WESTERN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

With the new Programme for Government now officially in place, Tomás Ó Siochán, CEO of the Western Development Commission, outlines how it will sit with the Commission’s role of supporting balanced social and economic development in seven western and north-western counties.

CORK IN TOP GEAR WITH NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLE FLEET

Cork City Council is taking the lead nationally by rolling out up to 76 electric vehicles (EVs), thereby creating the biggest local authority EV fleet in the country, which will result in substantial savings of up to €700,000 over five years for the council.

HOUSING FIRST MODEL MAKES ITS MARK IN MID-EAST

County councils in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow are working in association with Peter McVerry Trust to deliver the Housing First model in in the Mid-East, to address the homeless situation for people with complex needs across the three counties.

SOUTH DUBLIN’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

South Dublin County Council continues to maintain its range of services for businesses and provides community support, especially to vulnerable and ‘at risk’ citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic.

EXCELLENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARDS

The 17th Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards 2020, which will be presented on Thursday 26 November, will again showcase examples of best practice in local government by local authorities around the country.  

NEW SKILLS APP TAPS INTO ENERGY RENOVATION

The Irish Green Building Council, in conjunction with Limerick Institute of Technology, has launched the BUILD UP Skills Advisor app to facilitate energy renovation upskilling by enabling professionals and construction workers to identify training courses that suit their needs in one click.

TECHNOLOGY TAKES ON CULTURE OF COMPO CLAIMS

Technology may help local authorities to reduce public liability claims by delivering solutions to digitally collate appropriate data, according to Larry Fenelon, solicitor and co-founder of  LexTech.

DONEGAL LEADS THE TRAIL TOWARDS RURAL RECOVERY

Donegal County Council is leading the new Atlantic Area Trail Gazers Project, which includes trails from Donegal to Portugal. It has been set up to stimulate rural community growth by linking strategic walking and recreational pathways in areas of natural, built and cultural heritage with surrounding towns and villages.

COMPETITION OPEN TO FIND EUROPE’S GREENEST CITIES

The deadline date to submit applications for the 2023 European Green Capital and the 2022 European Green Leaf Awards, is 28 October 2020 which again will recognise the commitment by cities to becoming more sustainable regions.

A MODEL ROADMAP TO RECOVERY FOR WEXFORD

The findings of a major report produced by County Wexford Chamber of Commerce have found that the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme must remain in place for a full 12 months along with a reduction or suspension in commercial rates in order for businesses in County Wexford to prosper again.

TOP MARKS ON ‘LAPTOPS FOR LOAN’ SCHEME IN MEATH!

Meath County Council’s Library Service has partnered with Facebook, under a new ‘Laptops for Loan’ initiative, in which 900 laptops will be made available to fifth year and Leaving Cert Applied students in Meath.