Fingal County Council named Local Authority of the Year 2016

Fingal County Council was last night (24 November 2016) named Local Authority of the Year at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards. The 13th annual Awards ceremony was held in association with the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and showcases and celebrates the best of Local Government in Ireland.

Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland said, “The Excellence in Local Government Awards  demonstrate how each year Local Authorities work consistently to deliver services and initiatives that sustain, enhance and support our communities and local economies. Chambers Ireland is honoured to host these awards and recognise the dedication and hard work that takes place at local government level across Ireland. I want to congratulate Fingal County Council, the sixteen category winners, the many shortlisted organisations but also just as importantly, the people who made all these projects and activities happen.”

“Fingal County Council has shown exceptional leadership through a vision for the future development of the locality and the broader economic region. Fingal has demonstrated tremendous ambition and capacity for innovation across numerous projects and is recognised for its willingness to share best practice with peers. The drive to continuously improve and deliver better services to citizens makes Fingal a worthy winner of Local Authority of the Year.”

In presenting the awards Minister for the Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English TD commented, “It is essential that local authorities showcase their good performance – both to recognise their achievements and encourage further improvement in the services they deliver to local communities. I’m delighted to be associated with the Excellence in Local Government Awards 2016 and very grateful to Chambers Ireland for their valuable work in this area.”

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, Fáilte Ireland, ERP, SIRO, ESB, Zurich, Shell E&P, AIB, CBRE and An Post. Specially commissioned crystal awards designed by Waterford Crystal were presented to the winners on the night.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Supporting Active Communities Award sponsored by Eirgrid:

Limerick City & County Council – Team Limerick Clean Up (TLC)

Best Practice in Citizen Engagement Award sponsored by AIB:

Mayo County Council – Mayo Day

Health & Wellbeing Award sponsored by Healthy Ireland:

South Dublin County Council – HI South Dublin Healthy County

Supporting Tourism Award sponsored by Fáilte Ireland:

Clare County Council – Ennis Book Club Festival

Promoting Economic Development Award sponsored by Eirgrid:

Limerick City & County Council – Innovate Limerick

Local Authority Innovation Award sponsored by SIRO:

Cork City Council – Cork City’s Litter Fine System

Sustainable Environment Award sponsored by ERP:

Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council – Biodiversity in Action

Best Library Service Award sponsored by CBRE:

Offaly County Council – My Open Library

Sustaining the Arts Award sponsored by Ervia:

Kildare County Council – 1916 Sackville Street Art Project

Joint Local Authority Initiative Award sponsored by Waterford Crystal:

Donegal County Council – North West of the island of Ireland – A strategic Model for Regional Development Growth

Festival of the Year Award sponsored by Fáilte Ireland:

Cork County Council – A Taste of West Cork Food Festival

Outstanding Customer Service Award sponsored by An Post:

Tipperary County Council – Integrated Customer Services Centre

Enhancing the Urban Environment Award sponsored by Healthy Ireland:

Meath County Council – Ashbourne Main Street Refurbishment Scheme

Heritage and Built Environment Award sponsored by Zurich:

Fingal County Council – Swords Castle: Digging History

Disability Services Provision Award sponsored by Shell E&P Ireland:

Wexford County Council – Wexford County Council Beach Wheelchair Initiative

Commemorations and Centenaries Award sponsored by ESB:

Dublin City Council – Dublin Remembers 1916-2016: Is Cuimhin Linn

Special Commendation in Commemorations and Centenaries given to: Monaghan County Council – From a Whisper to a Roar – Exploring the Untold Story of Monaghan

-Ends-

Notes to Editor

Excellence in Local Government Awards

The Excellence in Local Government Awards are hosted by Chambers Ireland in partnership with the Department of the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to showcase the best practice in local government across Ireland. The annual awards began in 2004 to recognise the Local Authority of the Year and many other achievements delivered by Local Authorities now across sixteen categories. For more information: www.chambers.ie

Judging Panel

There are two independent judging panels made up of respected experts from the community and local government.

Round One

  • Mr. Dónall Curtin, Senior Partner, Byrne Curtin Kelly
  • Dr. Sean Ó’Riordáin, Director, Seán Ó’Riordáin & Associates
  • Mr. Tony O’Brien, Chair, Chambers Ireland Local Government Policy Council and Principal at TOB Associates
  • Gary McGuinn, Assistant Principal Officer, Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government
  • Ms. Geraldine Tallon, Former Secretary General, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

Round Two

  • Mr. Alex Connolly, Head of Communications, Fáilte Ireland
  • Mr. Maurice Coughlan, Principal Officer, Department of Housing, Planning Community and Local Government
  • Mr. Jack Keyes, Consultant and Former County Council Chief Executive, Cavan
  • Dr. Sean Ó’Riordáin, Principal, Seán Ó’Riordáin & Associates
  • Ms. Karen Smyth, Head of Policy, Northern Ireland Local Government Agency
  • Mr. Martin Tobin, CEO, European Recycling Platform (ERP) Ireland

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.

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