Monaghan Named Local Authority of the Year

Monaghan County Council has been named Local Authority of the Year at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards. The 14th annual awards ceremony was held in association with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and showcases and celebrates the best of Local Government in Ireland.

Speaking at the awards, Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of 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 Monaghan County Council, the 16 category winners, the many shortlisted organisations but also just as importantly, the people who made all these projects and activities happen.”

Talbot added that Monaghan County Council had shown exceptional leadership through a vision for the future development of the locality and the broader economic region. He said: “Monaghan 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 Monaghan a worthy winner of Local Authority of the Year.”

There were 16 awards presented on the night plus the overall award for Local Authority of the Year. Individual awards were sponsored by Lidl, ESB Networks, Healthy Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, AIB, LGiU Ireland, ERP, Waterford Crystal, Zurich, EirGrid, SIRO, Vodafone, Ervia, Shell E&P Ireland 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 Lidl:

Cork County Council – Dunmanway Community Garden – By the Community, for the Community, in the Heart of the Community

Best Practice in Citizen Engagement Award sponsored by ESB Networks:

South Dublin County Council – €300K – Have Your Say!

Health & Wellbeing Award sponsored by Healthy Ireland:

Mayo County Council – Men on the Move

Supporting Tourism Award sponsored by Fáilte Ireland:

Waterford City & County Council – Waterford Greenway

Promoting Economic Development Award sponsored by AIB:

Limerick City & County Council – Regeneration Programme: Model of pathways to employment in the hospitality and catering industry

Local Authority Innovation Award sponsored by LGiU Ireland:

Cork City Council – Competitive Dialogue Housing Delivery Process

Sustainable Environment Award sponsored by ERP:

Kerry County Council – MacGillycuddy Reeks Habitat and Trail Repair Project – a Collaborative Rural Economic Development Zone (REDZ) initiative

Best Library Service Award sponsored by Waterford Crystal:

Kildare County Council – Support to Secondary Schools Programme

Sustaining the Arts Award sponsored by Zurich:

Longford County Council – www.virtualwriter.ie

Joint Local Authority Initiative Award sponsored by EirGrid:

Monaghan County Council –Cavan and Monaghan Science Festival

Festival of the Year Award sponsored by Fáilte Ireland:

Donegal County Council – SEA SESSIONS Surf and Music Festival

Outstanding Customer Service Award sponsored by SIRO:

Limerick City & County Council – Limerick.ie

Enhancing the Urban Environment Award sponsored by Vodafone:

Offaly County Council – Revitalising Birr by improving the way its public realm functions

Heritage and Built Environment Award sponsored by Ervia:

Cork County Council – Spike Island, Cork Harbour

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

Cork City Council – Hollyhill Library Services for Children with Autism

Commemorations and Centenaries Award sponsored by An Post:

Cavan County Council – Cavan County Museum’s Commemoration Education Programme