FINGAL EARMARKS €784 MILLION UNDER NEW CAPITAL PROGRAMME 
Fingal County Council’s new Capital Programme – one of the highest in the country – will provide for significant investment on projects in Fingal from 2022 to 2024. Representing an increase of €17m on the previous Capital Plan, the programme has identified 237 individual projects with an estimated spend of €783.73m over the three-year period. GOVERNMENT MAPS OUT NEW HOUSING PLAN FOR IRELAND
The Government’s new ‘Housing for All’ plan represents the largest social housing build programme in the history of the State. Replacing the Rebuilding Ireland model, which was set up in 2016, this latest multibillion strategy has set a target to provide over 90,000 social homes and 54,000 affordable homes by the end of 2030. TAPPING IN TO CYBERSECURITY TRAINING
With a rise in data breaches and ransomware attacks, and a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, the industry now needs qualified individuals to fill the roles, notes Jan Carroll, UCD lecturer and cybersecurity researcher. Here she outlines a selection of training courses for those individuals who may wish to upskill or reskill in the cybersecurity sector FIVE IRISH PROJECTS SHORTLISTED FOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL AWARDS
Five national and local projects, ranging from a community led initiative funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage targeted at increasing the number of females in local politics in rural regions, to various community, economic and democratic programmes led by Mayo County Council, Meath County Council, and Longford County Council, have been shortlisted in the European Innovation in Politics Awards. NOAC REPORT REVEALS AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Local authorities improved their performance across a range of indicators during 2020, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, and also provided additional innovations and services during the pandemic, according to the findings of the NOAC Local Authority Performance Indicator Report 2020. TIPPERARY TOPS LOCAL AUTHORITY PLANNING PERFORMANCE REVIEW
As part of its first review into local authority systems and procedures for performing planning functions, the Office of the Planning Regulator singled out Tipperary County Council as performing well, whilst also making recommendations on how systems for operational process could be improved or how current standards may be maintained. PEAK PERFORMANCE BY 90 PROJECTS TO REACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARDS FINAL
A total of 90 projects from 20 local authorities were declared the finalists for the Excellence in Local Government Awards 2021, following the release of this year’s shortlist by Chambers Ireland recently. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 27 November in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin. CORK AND WICKLOW SCOOP TOP COMMUNITY HOUSING AWARDS
Cork City Council’s Competitive Dialogue Procurement & Planning initiative was the national winner at the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) Community Housing Awards 2021 while Wicklow County Council’s transitional-supported accommodation project, in collaboration with approved housing body Tiglin, scooped the inaugural Public Choice Award. COUNCIL ROLLS OUT AMBITIOUS CYCLE SOUTH DUBLIN CHALLENGE
South Dublin County Council has rolled out its new Cycle South Dublin (CySD) programme which proposes up to 41 projects to deliver 210km of new and improved cycle lanes across the county within the next ten years, in a bid to become one of Ireland’s most cycle-friendly counties. REPORT OUTLINES ROADMAP TO REVITALISE LIMERICK CITY CENTRE
Limerick Chamber has highlighted the need for affordable residential units in the city centre in its latest report on the future development of the Treaty City. It recommends a mechanism to measure progress on key local projects and is also calling for a strategy to support the development of regional urban centres. DUBLIN JOINS GLOBAL NETWORK OF HEALTHY CITIES
Dublin has joined the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a prestigious global network of 70 cities committed to saving lives by preventing non-communicable diseases and injuries, and Dublin City Council will now continue to work towards transforming the streets and footpaths of the capital city to support active mobility as part of Dublin’s commitment to this initiative. EQUALITY REVIEWS RECOMMEND SYSTEMIC CHANGE ACROSS LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Recent equality reviews by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission have revealed that local authorities continue to provide inadequate Traveller-specific accommodation. The Commission has made a series of recommendations, requesting all councils to report back with specific actions and to examine how the barriers to the drawdown of State funding can be removed. KEEPING URBAN GREEN SPACES CLEAN AND SAFE
The nation may have fallen back in love with its urban green spaces during the pandemic, but keeping these spaces clean and safe has created a massive burden for local authorities that may not have sufficient funding to do so, writes Dyl Kurpil, Managing Director of District Enforcement. Here he outlines how they can achieve an affordable solution to environmental crime enforcement. URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT MAPPED OUT FOR WESTERN EDGE OF DUBLIN CITY
South Dublin County Council and Dublin City Council have collaborated on a unique urban regeneration partnership known as the City Edge Project. Located at the western edge of the city centre, this long-term, extensive redevelopment plan is part of a national strategy to rejuvenate Dublin City