Limerick City and County Council named Local Authority of the Year 2023

Limerick City and County Council named Local Authority of the Year 2023

Limerick City and County Council was named Local Authority of the Year at the 2023 Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards, which took place last night (23rd November 2023). The 20th annual Awards ceremony showcases and celebrates the best of Local Government in Ireland.

The Awards are held in association with the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, and proudly sponsored by Ørsted.

Commenting at the Awards, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said:

“What we see through these awards is something I regularly get to witness on my travels across the country, the hard work and dedication of our local authorities. Time and again local authorities display immense agility in responding to the challenges which they are presented with – whether that’s a global pandemic or an unjust war and the unprecedented influx of people fleeing it.

“The calibre of applications are outstanding again this year and I want to commend all the applicants, those shortlisted and indeed the winners. While the award ceremony offers us a chance to acknowledge and celebrate the work undertaken by our local authorities I would like to reiterate the Government’s appreciation of our local authorities all year round,” he concluded.

TJ Hunter, Senior Director at Ørsted UK & Ireland, headline sponsors of the Awards, added:

“For Ireland to fight climate change, we need industry, community and government to work in partnership, challenge the status quo, and together build a better society. All winning projects tonight started as ideas that were pushed to become realities, and now create legacies to be proud of. Congratulations to all to the individual and collective achievements being celebrated tonight and in particular Limerick City & County Council for taking home the Local Authority of the Year Award 2023.”

Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland said:

“We are delighted to be celebrating 20 years of the Excellence in Local Government Awards this year and I’d like to commend all of the shortlisted Local Authorities for their innovation, enthusiasm and commitment to serving their communities and championing their localities.  

“It’s an honour for Chambers Ireland to host these Awards and, each year, we are consistently astounded by the exceptional quality of projects and initiatives that are being developed at a local level nationwide.

“Congratulations to all of the people involved in the 94 shortlisted initiatives, the 15 individual category winners and, in particular, to Limerick City and County Council for being awarded Local Authority of the Year. To be nominated is a huge achievement, as the standard of each category is so high, and to win is recognition of an outstanding and unwavering commitment to your local community. Limerick City and County Council are the deserving winners of the overall award for their extensive work in promoting Limerick as a positive, inclusive and sustainable place to live, work, visit and invest.”

There were 15 awards presented on the night, as well as the overall award for Local Authority of the Year. Individual awards were sponsored by: European Recycling Platform (ERP), Healthy Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, IPB Insurance, Waterford Crystal and EirGrid.

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 Sustainable Communities Award

Limerick City & County Council

Diversity & Inclusion Award

Donegal County Council

Festival of the Year Award

Kildare County Council

Supporting Tourism Award

Waterford City and County Council

Promoting Economic Development Award

Kerry County Council

Local Authority Innovation Award

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Sustainable Environment & Biodiversity Award

Dublin City Council

Communications Award

Fingal County Council

Climate Change Award

South Dublin County Council

Sustaining the Arts Award

Carlow County Council

Health & Wellbeing Award

Limerick City & County Council

Municipal District Initiative Award

Kildare County Council

Urban Revival Award

Cork City Council

Heritage and Built Environment Award

Waterford City and County Council

Age Friendly Initiative Award

Wicklow County Council

Local Authority of the Year

Limerick City & County Council

-ENDS-

For further information contact James Kiernan, Chambers Ireland, on 087 671 8468 or email james.kiernan@chambers.ie

Notes to Editors

Excellence in Local Government Awards

The Excellence in Local Government Awards are hosted by Chambers Ireland in partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage 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. The awards now encompass fifteen categories.

For more information, please visit our website: https://chambers.ie/event/excellence-in-local-government-awards/

Photography

All of the photos from the event are available on Flickr by clicking here.

Judging Panel

There is an independent judging panel made up of respected experts from community and local government.

  • Dr. Mark Callanan – Lecturer, Institute of Public Administration
  • Katherine Fitzpatrick – Consultant, People Make Places
  • Sarah Foley – Public Affairs & Communication Lead, Orsted
  • Mark Macaulay – Innovation & Standards Senior Manager, Uisce Eireann
  • Tommy Moylan – Director, Association of Irish Local Government (AILG)
  • Hannah Muirhead – Head of International Operations, Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)
  • Diarmuid O’Leary – Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
  • Dr. Sean O’Riordain – Chair, Public Policy Advisory Network
  • Louise Purcell – Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
  • Dr. Bríd Quinn – Consultant (Formerly, Department of Politics & Public Administration, University Of Limerick)
  • Karen Smyth – Head of Policy and Governance, Northern Ireland Local Government Association
  • Martin Tobin – Chief Executive, European Recycling Platform Ireland (ERP Ireland)
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