Carlow County Council Wins 2015 Local Authority of the Year
Carlow County Council was last night (12/11/15) named Local Authority of the Year at the Chambers Ireland Annual Excellence in Local Government Awards, held in association with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The 12th annual awards ceremony recognises and celebrates the best of Local Government.
Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland said, “In spite of the many challenges they have faced in recent years, Local Authorities continue to deliver innovative and necessary projects that benefit and support local communities. It is an honour to host these awards and recognise the hard work that takes place at the core of local government across the country. I want to congratulate Carlow County Council, the sixteen winners, the many shortlisted organisations but also just as importantly, the people who made all these projects and activities happen.
“Carlow County Council has been recognised for its commitment to the best possible public service standards for the people and businesses of Carlow. Carlow is a Council that has been prepared to “think big”, has shown ambition for the county and has delivered on that basis.”
In presenting the awards, Alan Kelly, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government commented, “These awards are an opportunity for each local authority to showcase to the public the hard work being undertaken in the community year on year and the real benefits being delivered. I congratulate all who delivered the nominated projects for work excellently well done and encourage the local government sector to come forward next year with even more examples of the good that is being done at local level.”
There were sixteen awards presented on the night plus the overall award for Local Authority of the Year. Individual awards were sponsored by: Waterford Crystal, Eirgrid, Healthy Ireland (Department of Health), Fáilte Ireland, ERP, GloHealth, ESB Networks, Zurich, Shell E&P, AIB, CBRE and An Post. Specially commissioned trophies designed by Waterford Crystal were presented to the winners on the night.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Supporting Active Communities sponsored by Eirgrid:
Monaghan County Council – The Peace Link
Best Practice in Citizen Engagement sponsored by ESB Networks:
Fingal County Council – Fingal Age Friendly Facilities
Health & Wellbeing sponsored by Healthy Ireland:
Dublin City Council – The Ballybough Community, Youth and Fitness Centre
Supporting Tourism sponsored by Fáilte Ireland:
Carlow County Council – Tourism Planning and Execution
Promoting Economic Development sponsored by Eirgrid:
Cork City Council – ‘I wish’ stands for Inspire young Women to Investigate opportunities in STEM
Local Authority Innovation sponsored by AIB:
Wexford County Council – Environmental Incidents – Mobilised Investigation and Management
Sustainable Environment sponsored by ERP:
Cork County Council – Cork County Hall Campus Beyond 2020
Smarter Travel sponsored by Waterford Crystal:
Mayo County Council – Westport Smarter Travel (WST)
Best Library Service sponsored by CBRE:
South Dublin County Council – Creative Campus: Supporting our second level students in South Dublin
Sustaining the Arts sponsored by Shell E&P Ireland:
South Dublin County Council – TENDERFOOT: A volume of plays by & for young people
Joint Local Authority Initiative sponsored by GloHealth:
Donegal County Council – SPACEial is an acronym for ‘Spatial Planning and Collaborative Exchange of Information and Learning’
Festival of the Year sponsored by Fáilte Ireland:
Limerick City and County Council – A Giant’s Journey, Limerick, September 2014
Parks and Recreation sponsored by Healthy Ireland:
Wicklow County Council – Arklow Duck Pond, Nature Walk & Leisure Area
Outstanding Customer Service sponsored by Zurich:
Cork County Council – Your Good Self: Cork’s Positive Self Help Programme
Enhancing the Urban Environment sponsored by ERP:
Wexford County Council – New Ross Quayfront redevelopment
Heritage and Built Environment sponsored by An Post:
Cavan County Council – World War 1 Experience at Cavan County Museum
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
Excellence in Local Government Awards
The Excellence in Local Government Awards is hosted by Chambers Ireland in partnership with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to showcase the best practice in local government across Ireland. The annual awards began in 2004 and recognise the Local Authority of the Year and many other achievements across sixteen categories. For more information: www.chambers.ie
Photography
Photographs to accompany this story will be sent to your picture desk or are available from Finbarr O’Rourke Photographic Services.
Judging Panel
There are two independent judging panels made up of respected experts from the community and local government.
Round One
• Mr. Maurice Coughlan, Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
• Mr. Tony O’Brien, Consultant, TOB Associates
• Dr. Sean Ó’Riordáin, Sean Ó’Riordáin & Associates
• Ms. Yvonne McKenna, Chief Executive, Gaisce
Round Two
• Ms. Geraldine Tallon, Former Secretary General, Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
• Mr. Maurice Coughlan, Dept. of Environment, Community and Local Government
• Mr. Dónall Curtin, Outgoing President, Chambers Ireland
• Mr. Tony O’Brien, Consultant TOB Associates
• Mr. Joe Allen, Former PO, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
For further information contact Susan McDermott, Chambers Ireland on 01 400 4331, 086 6081605 or email susan.mcdermott@www.chambers.ie .
Chambers Ireland – Ireland’s largest business network creating the best environment for members locally, regionally and nationally.