Cork City Council named Local Authority of the Year in Ireland

The Council also won accolades for three individual projects at Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards 2021

Cork City Council has been named Local Authority of the Year in the annual Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government (ELG) Awards 2021.

The government of Ireland’s second-largest city received the coveted recognition for its “creativity and determination” in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ELG Awards sponsored by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, are held to give credit to the work being carried out by local authorities all over Ireland. This year’s edition saw 90 projects from 20 local authorities shortlisted as finalists in 16 categories.

Three individual accolades

In addition to the overall prize, Cork City Council also won three awards for individual projects: in the Health and Wellbeing, Enhancing the Urban Environment, and Heritage and Built Environment categories.

The winning projects included initiatives that allowed youths to try new sports at their doorstep during Covid-19 restrictions; transformed the city centre of Cork into a people-friendly, car-free zone, supporting local business and culture along the run;  and provided nine sheltered housing apartments by renovating two derelict 18th-century townhouses and infilling a vacant site.

Praising the achievements, Chambers Ireland Chief Executive, Ian Talbot said, as quoted by the organization’s website:

“The range of work that was undertaken by Cork City Council and the impact it has achieved speaks to the central role of local authorities in developing our communities and providing for the needs of its citizens. From the early days of the pandemic, it saw an opportunity in creating a more people-focused city centre and undoubtedly inspired other local authorities and communities across Ireland. That is an achievement of which all staff should be proud.”

And the winners are...

Here is the full list of winners of the ELG Awards 2021:

• Local Authority of the Year 2021 – Cork City Council
• Supporting Sustainable Communities (Sponsored by EirGrid)– Laois County Council – Abbeyleix Community Climate Action Project
• Best Practice in Community Engagement (Sponsored by ESB Network)– South Dublin County Council – South Dublin County Council Development Plan (CDP) Public Consultation
• Health and Wellbeing (Sponsored by Healthy Ireland)– Cork City Council – Sports on the Green
• Supporting Tourism (Sponsored by Fáilte Ireland)– Monaghan County Council – The Patrick Kavanagh Centre and the branded Kavanagh Trail
• Promoting Economic Development (Sponsored by EirGrid)– Donegal County Council – #BuyDonegal
• Local Authority Innovation (Sponsored by TEKenable)– Limerick City and County Council – ‘Council Connect’ Staff app
• Sustainable Environment (Sponsored by European Recycling Platform Ireland)– Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council – dlr’s Coastal Mobility Route
• Best Library Service– Meath County Council – Laptops for Loan
• Sustaining the Arts (Sponsored by Zurich Ireland)– Kildare County Council – Kildare Covid Notebook project
• Age-Friendly Initiative (Sponsored by Waterford Crystal)– South Dublin County Council – Policy for Rightsizing and Allocation of Age-Friendly Accommodation
• Festival of the Year (Sponsored by Fáilte Ireland)– Monaghan County Council – Cavan Monaghan Online Science Festival 2020
• Initiative through the Municipal Districts (Sponsored by LGIU Ireland)– Clare County Council – Restructuring of Municipal Districts to improve community and economic outcomes
• Enhancing the Urban Environment (Sponsored by Ervia)– Cork City Council – Reopening a More Resilient Cork City Centre
• Heritage and Built Environment (Sponsored by AIB Ireland)– Cork City Council – Infill Housing Conservation Project, 5-6 Shandon Street & JP Curran Street
• Disability Services Provision (Sponsored by EirGrid)– Monaghan County Council – My Right to Vote – General Election voter education
• Commemorations & Centenaries (Sponsored by An Post)– Cavan County Council – Bringing History to Life Despite the Odds

About Chambers Ireland

Chambers Ireland is the country’s largest business network, with 40 member chambers across every major city, town and region of the island. Aligning the organization’s strategic priorities with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Chambers Ireland aims to improve the conditions for living, working and doing business locally, regionally and nationally.