Limerick City and County Council was last night (14/11/14) named Local Authority of the year at the annual Excellence in Local Government Awards, held in association with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The awards, which have been running since 2004, recognise best practice in Local Government.
Ian Talbot, Chambers Ireland Chief Executive said, “While 2014 has been a year of hugely challenging change and transformation for local government, Local Authorities have embraced this opportunity to innovate and develop new approaches to sustaining and supporting their communities. It is an honour for us to host these awards and recognise the hard work that goes on at the heart of our communities on a daily basis. I want to congratulate not just the winners and shortlisted organisations but just as importantly, the people who made all these projects and activities happen.”
Congratulation Limerick City and County Council on their award, Limerick Chamber Interim CEO, Órlaith Borthwick said, “As supporters of the amalgamation of our two local authorities, we are delighted that Limerick City and County Council has been recognised for pioneering a new model for local government. We are the first city in Ireland to have a single unified Local Authority – the benefits of which have already started to bear fruition through the delivery of an historic 15.8% reduction in commercial rates for businesses. “
“This award is testament to the leadership shown by Conn Murray and the Councillors from both City and County, and the hard work of their staff during a time of transition and financial constraints,” she concluded.
In presenting the awards, Alan Kelly T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government commented “These awards offer a great opportunity to showcase and reward the excellent work being carried out by Local Authorities across the country. The quality of the projects and the dedication of those involved continue to grow year on year and I am delighted that my Department continues to support these awards.”
There were eleven awards handed out on the night plus the overall award for Local Authority of the Year. Individual awards were sponsored by: AECOM; AIB; An Post; CBRE; EirGrid; ESB Networks; the European Recycling Platform; Fáilte Ireland; Healthy Ireland (Department of Health); and Zurich. Winners were presented with a specially commissioned trophy designed by Tipperary Crystal.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Supporting Active Communities sponsored by EirGrid
- Wexford County Council – On Our Own Ground: Wexford’s Treasures, Parish by Parish
Joint Local Authority Initiative sponsored by Zurich
- Fingal County Council – National Building Control Management System (BCMS)
Smarter Travel sponsored by AECOM
- Limerick City and County Council – Limerick Smarter Travel
Supporting Tourism sponsored by Fáilte Ireland
- Galway County Council – STONE WALL WORKSHOP – Féile na gCloch, Inis Oírr
Best Library Service sponsored by CBRE
- Mayo County Council – Mayo Musical Instrument Lending Scheme
Best Practice in Citizen Engagement sponsored by ESB
- Waterford County Council – Waterford County Comhairle na nÓg
Supporting the Local Economy sponsored by EirGrid
- Cork County Council – ‘Taste Cork’ Regional Food Marketing Initiative
Health & Wellbeing sponsored by Healthy Ireland
- Cork City Council – Functional Zone @ LeisureWorld
Sustainable Environment sponsored by the European Recycling Platform
- Cavan County Council – Citizen Engagement Strategy for the Domestic Wastewater Assessments (DWWA)
Local Authority Innovations sponsored by AIB
- Limerick City and County Council – Creating a new agile public governance model through the merger of Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council
Sustaining the Arts sponsored by An Post
- Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council – Musical Memories
Local Authority of the Year sponsored by AECOM
- Limerick City and County Council
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
Photography
Photographs to accompany this story will be sent to your picture desk or are available from Finbarr O’Rourke Photographic Services 087 2200590.
Judging Panel
The independent judging panel is made up of respected individuals working in various fields concerning Local Government. The panel act independently at all times.
Round One
• Donal Enright, Principal Officer, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
• Tony Lenehan, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, Fáilte Ireland
• Sean Ó’Riordáin, Director, Sean Ó’Riordáin & Associates
• Karen Smyth, Head of Policy, Northern Ireland Local Government Agency
• Geraldine Tallon, Former Secretary General, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Round Two
• Dónall Curtin, President, Chambers Ireland
• Donal Enright, Principal Officer, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
• Pat McLoughlin, Consultant, PML Consulting
• Yvonne McKenna, Chief Executive, Volunteer Ireland
• Tony O’Brien, Chair, Chambers Ireland Local Government Policy Council
Share On.....