‘HOUSING FOR ALL’ BUDGET 2021 BONANZA 
The housing package of €3.1bn in Budget 2021 – an increase of over €730m on Budget 2020 – has seen the Government commit to deliver 12,750 social homes this year and to focus on the prevention of homelessness.
IRELAND’S LARGEST REGENERATION PROJECT TO DOCK IN CORK
Cork City Council, in partnership with the Land Development Agency, aims to unlock the potential of Cork City Docklands over the next two decades, which will see the development of thousands of homes and the creation of a new urban centre for international investment. 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
Prof John Fitzgerald, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council, says that with limited resources, Ireland's policy focus must be on delivering cost-effective, socially sustainable and environmentally compatible measures that achieve decarbonisation and climate resilience by 2050. TURNING UP LOW CARBON HEAT IN SOUTH DUBLIN
South Dublin County Council has established Ireland’s first publicly-owned, not-for-profit
energy company to provide low carbon heat to local community buildings. The scheme may also have the potential to become a template for other districts across Ireland over the coming years. OPR REPORT OUTLINES PLANS FOR IRELAND’S FUTURE
Over the next six years the the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) will evaluate close to 200 draft plans to measure how well they align with existing planning policy and regulatory requirements. The plans were outlined at 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. PUBLIC SECTOR SUCCESS AT SEAI ENERGY AWARDS
Dublin City Council, NUI Galway and SSE Airtricity Energy Services were among the winners of the 2020 SEAI Energy Awards' online ceremony, which honoured leaders in sustainable energy and climate action. EU FUNDING FOR IRISH INNOVATIVE WORKPLACE INITIATIVES
Cork City Council is one of four consortium partners of the European 'Start at Best' project, to support and drive competitiveness across the EU’s SME sector. Five Irish SMEs received grant-aid of €7,500 each under the Horizon 2020 project to support their own workplace innovation initiatives.