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LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
• Beware Litter Louts in the North Inner City Dublin City Council is IBALing you! • Increasing Demand for Housing Requires Significant Increase in Supply of Housing • A case-study of the merger of Tipperary County Council
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CONTENTS VOL. 34 No 5
FEATURES
Published by:
GILTRON LTD RIVERVIEW LODGE, DUBLIN ROAD, NAVAN, CO. MEATH. Tel: 00353 46 9072841 Email: info@localauthoritynews.ie Website: www.localauthoritynews.ie
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ISSN NO. 1393-0394 LAN is available FREE OF CHARGE to all Local and Central Government Bodies throughout Ireland. Published bi-monthly it is disseminated to Local Authority Managers, Assistant Managers, County Secretaries, Finance Officers, Principal Officers, Department Heads, County Engineers, City Engineers, Chief Quantity Surveyors, Senior Architects, Plant Superintendents, Senior Executive Engineers, Town Clerks, Purchasing Officers, Administrative Officers, Inspectors, Park Superintendents, County Librarians, etc. in all Government Departments, County Councils, Corporations, Office of Public Works, Urban District Councils, StateSponsored and Development Bodies and Agencies.
MINISTERS KELLY AND COFFEY LAUNCH - ‘SOCIAL HOUSING STRATEGY 2020: SUPPORT, SUPPLY AND REFORM
3 PETER MCVERRY TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS, SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE, & DRUG MISUSE
6 INCREASING DEMAND FOR HOUSING REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SUPPLY OF HOUSING
7 BEWARE LITTER LOUTS IN THE NORTH INNER CITY DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL IS IBALING YOU!
11 NEW EI ELECTRONICS 160E SERIES: THE NEXT STEP IN ALARM EVOLUTION
14
LITTER SURVEY SHOWS HEAVILY LITTERED AREAS ARE CLEANING UP … AT LAST
16 A CASE-STUDY OF THE MERGER OF TIPPERARY COUNTY COUNCIL 18
REGULARS DEPARTMENT BREIFS PRODUCT INFORMATION CLASSIFIEDS LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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Ministers Kelly and Coffey launch - ‘Social Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reform The Strategy commits to; • supplying 35,000 additional social housing units at a cost of €3.8 billion over the next 6 years;
At the launch, Minister Kelly said “This six-year Social Housing Strategy sets out to fully meet this Governmentʼs ambitious goals. In committing to provide 35,000 new social housing units at a cost of €3.8 bn, it makes a fresh start for social housing in Ireland. One of the main priorities for this Government is to address the challenge of providing social housing for the people of this country This Strategy sets out how we will achieve this priority. The Strategy restores the State to a central role in the provision of social housing through a resumption of direct building on a significant scale by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies. It emphasises the Stateʼs lead role in building partnerships with other public, voluntary and private providers of housing in the development of innovative funding mechanisms that do not increase the General Government Debt. “
• Estimated 29,000 Jobs in construction and promotion of mixed-tenure developments • Meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through local authority provision via the private rented sector using Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme; • Reforming social housing delivery and management in Ireland, • Establishing the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce, to respond to the current supply difficulties and focus on the delivery of social housing in the Dublin area, and
The Minister explained that the Social Housing Strategy will provide for a more economic, sustainable, progressive and integrated approach to social housing delivery in Ireland. The Strategy provides the basis for an enhanced approach to social housing provision and contains clear actions to be taken to increase supply and most importantly, reduce the number of people on waiting lists. The measures in the Strategy build on and complement Budget 2015, which provided for a multiannual approach to the provision of social housing with a considerable increase in Exchequer investment and proposals for innovative funding approaches to increase supply.
• Sets out road map to accommodate everyone on the Housing Waiting Lists by 2020 (90,000 households)
Minister of State Coffey said “The Strategy builds on work initiated under Construction 2020. It will underpin a more financially sustainable and integrated Social Housing Sector which is more responsive to peopleʼs need. It will also assist in the recovery of a strong and sustainable construction sector”.
The Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly T.D. together with his colleague Paudie Coffey T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government today (26 November, 2014) launched the ʻSocial Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reformʼ, a Government commitment under Construction 2020.
Minister of State Coffey continued, saying that he welcomed “the road map that the strategy will accommodate the entire housing waiting list of 90,000 households, with homes in which they can raise their families, by 2020”.
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The Governmentʼs vision as outlined in the Strategy is that every household will have access to secure, good quality housing suited to their needs at an affordable price in a sustainable community and is founded on a three Pillar approach:
housing is accompanied by an agenda for reform and this will underpin the third Pillar of the Strategy. Under this Strategy, social housing supports will be made more flexible, progressive and targeted over the delivery period. The Strategy recognises the need for transition mechanisms to help people move on from social housing as their circumstances improve. It will continue to facilitate the greater use of mixed tenure developments, as well as emphasising the Governmentʼs commitment to the key principle of developing sustainable communities.
Pillar 1: Provision of New Social Housing Supply. Pillar 2: Providing Housing Supports through the Private Rental Sector. Pillar 3: Reform Creating More Flexible and Responsive Social Housing Supports in Ireland.
Detailed Governance and programme management arrangements are provided for in the Strategy, including • An Oversight Group chaired by the Minister
The first two Pillars will address the immediate supply shortage and well as creating a sustainable approach which aims to accommodate everyone (90,000 households) on the Housing Waiting Lists by 2020. While Pillar 3 includes a range of actions to ensure that social housing supports are responsive to peopleʼs current needs as well as to changes in their circumstances.
• A Task Force to drive the delivery of social housing units in Dublin • A Project Board chaired by a Senior Official in Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
The Strategy is based on a multi-annual approach to delivery over two phases, with an additional cost to the Exchequer over the 6 years at an estimated €3.8bn. It will signal a movement towards ʻOff Balance Sheet Delivery Mechanismsʼ based on greater use of and access to private finance.
• 5 different work streams focussing on specific action areas The Strategy also contains an Action Plan with detailed objectives and timelines. Key among these actions are commitments that the Project Board and the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce will agree targets with local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies for delivery of social housing in 2015 and initiate work on targets for subsequent years. This process, will ensure that progress on the overall social housing delivery targets of the Strategy is measureable and ultimately that the targets are met over the 6 year Strategy period. Minister Kelly concluded saying, “Thanks to the policies of this Government, our return to economic growth has come quickly. This welcome growth has an impact on household formation and on housing supply, which the State is responding to, through Construction 2020 and through this Strategy. Together with my colleague, Minister of State Coffey, I am committed to a ʻhands onʼ approach to working with all stakeholders involved so that we drive on towards the housing targets this Strategy sets out”.
Phase 1: Target of 18,000 additional housing units and 32,000 HAP/RAS units by end of 2017. Phase 2: Target of 17,000 additional housing units and 43,000 HAP/RAS units by end of 2020. It is vital that any programme of investment in social
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Delivery & Costs.
•
The Strategy is based on a multi-annual approach to delivery: o Phase 1, building on Budget 2015 announcements – target of 18,000 additional housing units and 32,000 HAP/RAS units by end 2017; o Phase 2, 2018-2020 – target of 17,000 additional housing units and 43,000 HAP/RAS units by end 2020.
•
The total additional cost to the Exchequer over the 6 years is estimated at €3.8bn (this incorporates Budget 2015 provisions, including PPP and Financial Vehicle).
•
The Strategy signals a movement towards Off-balance Sheet Delivery mechanisms based on greater use of and access to private finance, facilitated through Current Exchequer funding streams.
•
The Strategy will facilitate greater use of mixed tenure developments with social rental, affordable rental and private rental being provided side by side.
In summary, the Social Housing Strategy provides for more economic, sustainable, progressive and integrated Social Housing delivery in Ireland.
Reform Agenda
•
It is vital that any programme of investment in Social Housing is accompanied by an agenda for reform and this will be the 3rd pillar of the Strategy.
•
The Strategy provides for:
•
The reform of differential rents which will provide for transitional mechanisms to help people move on from social housing as their circumstances improve;
•
The development of a Housing Passport mechanism to allow greater mobility of social housing tenants between local authorities in order to access employment opportunities;
•
Provision of Choice Based Lettings allocation process that can provide for a more coordinated and efficient approach to meeting housing need, and to better meet supply and demand;
•
Statutory regulation of the Approved Housing Bodies;
•
and a pilot programme to introduce cost rental and affordable rental in the Irish market. Under the proposals in the Strategy, social housing supports will be made more flexible, progressive and targeted over the delivery period LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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Peter McVerry to tackle Homelessness, Social disadvantage, & Drug misuse eter McVerry Trust was established in 1983 by Fr Peter McVerry to tackle homelessness, social disadvantage, and drug misuse. The charity provides a wide range of services across the areas of prevention, homeless, housing, drug treatment services and U18s residential accommodation.
P
In 2014 the charity worked with 4,460 participants across the services and expects to work with over 5,000 people in 2015. Peter McVerry Trust works primarily with young single people but has now expanded service provision to meet the needs of couples and families experiencing homelessness.
A core element of the charity始s response to homelessness has been its adoption of a housing led approach. The charity has adopted and implemented the housing first model and has rapidly grown the number of social housing units under its management. By the end of 2015 the charity will have close to 200 units of accommodation spread across, Dublin, Kildare and Limerick. Its aim is to continue to identify opportunities to work in partnership with other agencies to increase social housing provision that includes a housing with supports team to service the needs of the former homeless residents.
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Increasing Demand for Housing Requires Significant Increase in Supply of Housing The National Statement of Housing Supply and Demand 2014 and Outlook for 2015-17 finds supply and demand balance a key challenge. As part of a wide suite of initiatives addressing housing supply which have been underway since the publication of Construction 2020, this Statement is the first of a series of annual reports which will inform how Ireland meets demand for housing into the future. The Housing Agency today released its first National Statement of Housing Supply and Demand 2014, and Outlook for 2015-17. The National Statement provides key data and analysis on the housing supply and demand trends in Ireland as well Pictured at the launch of the National Statement for Housing Supply and Demand: Conor Skehan, Minister Paudie Coffey and David Silke as an overview of future housing requirements. The analysis gives • Affordability is an issue for households in the clear insights into housing in Ireland and presents the greater Dublin area, renters and single person most up-to-date information available in relation to households housing supply and demand which will keep key • House prices have increased, particularly in the housing initiatives on track and ensure we have Dublin area with the median price nationally accurate data about how housing needs are being met being €152,000 (up from €140,000 in 2013) on an annual basis. The report shows that while the and €260,000 in Dublin (up from €220,000 in housing sector is showing signs of recovery, the pace 2013) Page 2 of 3 of demand is growing faster than supply. • Rental prices have also increased, particularly Key findings and analysis from the first National for apartments, nationally rents are 6.9% Statement of Housing Supply and Demand include higher in Q1 2015 compared with Q1 2014 the following: (9.6% higher in Dublin and 5.3% higher • Demand for housing will continue to increase outside Dublin) in accordance with population trends and a • Mortgage Arrears and Negative Equity reduction in household sizes remains a serious concern, with a total of • Supply of new housing needs to increase to 110,366 mortgages in arrears at the end of meet demand, with supply and demand 2014 balance a key challenge LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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• The population is at its highest in 150 years at 4.5 million people, and housing demand is high as a result • Household requirements have changed and the average household size has fallen dramatically, proportional household composition has changed and we see an increase in smaller households and a corresponding decrease in larger households. The average household size in the country has fallen significantly over the last 9 years, from an average of 3.04 in 2002 to 2.77 in 2011. Based on an assessment of regional trends, it has been calculated that it will fall further to 2.67 by 2018 – the majority of new housing will now accommodate fewer people
The Minister further added that the Statement “contributes greatly to an overall understanding of housing needs in Ireland, ensuring that the most up to date and comprehensive data is available relating to current housing supply and emerging needs. Importantly, this data will help ensure policy responses are evidence-based and needs-led, as we endeavour to build sustainable communities for the present and future generations.” Speaking at the event, Dr Conor Skehan, Chairman of the Housing Agency, said: “Since the publication of Construction 2020, the pieces of the jigsaw are now in place to ensure housing needs are met through a whole suite of initiatives which are underway– including those addressing issues such as housing supply, housing land availability, and provision of social housing. Keeping those initiatives on target requires accurate data and progress reports on extent to which these needs are being met. This is the first of a series of annual reports to deliver a state of the nation picture of what housing needs are and how we are addressing housing supply. Page 3 of 3 Housing is a complex issue – and accurate, timely and up to date data helps us fully understand what the demand looks like, it gives us the opportunity to ensure that new housing supply is the right type, in the right place, and the right size, and, crucially, that it is affordable.
• The Residential Land Availability Survey shows the total area of available zoned land nationally is capable of supporting over 414,000 housing units • Rental levels have decreased in the period 2007-2014 with a gradual increase in 2014.
What is clear is that increased supply will be gradual as the sector begins to recover. However, a substantial step-up in housing output is required over the next three years to meet this increasing demand.” Speaking at the launch, Minister for State with responsibility for Housing, Mr Paudie Coffey said:
The full Report can be accessed on the Housing Agency website at www.housing.ie/
“This Statement being launched forms part of a key action (action one) under Construction 2020, which commits to developing a National Framework for housing supply and an annual statement of projected housing requirements. It provides a much-needed analysis of the true picture of housing supply and demand in Ireland along with future projections, allowing for emerging imbalances to be identified and rectified at an early stage.”
For further information, contact: Ciara O’Connor at the Housing Agency Communications Office: 01 6564171 or communications@housing.ie
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Westpark Motor Co. Ltd. Kylemore Park West, Dublin 10. Tel: 01-6266152 Fax 01-6231318 Email: info@westparkmotors.ie Web: www.westparkmotors.ie Sole Agent for
HomeAgain Formerly Los Angeles Society
HOME AGAIN is a residential care organisation which offers accommodation to children between the ages of 12 to 18 and housing support to children who leave the care system when they turn 18. Founded as a charity 50 years ago this year we continue to rely on the generosity of our donors in preventing child homelessness and in providing a high standard of care for those children who live with us. Your donation, however small, can make a crucial difference in the lives of vulnerable young people who through no fault of their own find themselves in need of help.
Should you wish to contribute to our work please visit our website at
www.homeagain.ie LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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Beware Litter Louts in the North Inner City Dublin City Council is IBALing you! Dublin City Council is Watching and Prosecuting – Report Illegal Dumping An tArtmheara Críona Ní Dhálaigh has launched Dublin City Councilʼs Anti Litter publicity campaign at Smithfield Plaza, Dublin The event also featured the City Councils new Street Sweeping Fleet. Dublin City Council is intensifying its Anti Litter Campaign this year in an effort to deal with the serious problem of illegal dumping in parts of the North Inner City.
An tArdmhéara Críona Ní Dhálaigh said ʻDublin City Council is now very proactive in tackling this crisis. We are prosecuting those who dump illegally on our streets and we are also prosecuting the householders that have no legal waste disposal arrangements in place. We will do all we can to ensure that the North Inner City is no longer a litter black spot. I would encourage everyone to share this civic responsibility and report illegal dumping by calling our litter hotline (1800 251 500) in confidence. Déanfaimid gach iarracht a chinntiú nach mbeidh Tuaisceart Lár na
The campaign comes on foot of the latest IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) report which declared that certain areas in the North Inner City continue to be seriously littered with the area ranked 39th out of 40th nationwide in respect of cleanliness. Dublin City Council is calling on all citizens in the city, and in particular, the North Inner City, to report illegal dumping via a special confidential Litter Hotline which is now available – Tel: 1800 251 500 or online at www.fixyourstreet.ie The council is asking citizens to take pride in their area and play their part in keeping their community clean by reporting illegal dumping. The City Councilʼs #keepdublinclean campaign is promoting a zero tolerance approach to illegal dumping especially towards the dumping of untagged bags on the public street. Streets where illegal dumping is a particular problem are being targeted and our ʻClean Dublin Teamʼ (litter wardens) are calling door to door to ensure households have waste disposal arrangements in place. CCTV monitoring has been installed and additional signage has been placed in black spot areas advising on the correct waste collection day. Owners of properties suspected of illegal dumping are being identified through property and title searches.
Cathrach ina bhall dubh bhruscair níos mó. As the Irish proverb says “Ar Scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine” (People live in each otherʼs shadows) Be proud of your neighbourhood and your community and help us to keep the North Inner City clean from litterʼ. “Our new ʻStreet Sweeping Fleetʼ featured confirms that Dublin City Council has made a significant investment towards street cleaning in this city. Street cleaning is a shared responsibility and we are asking people to help us tackle the significant litter crisis in our North Inner City by reporting illegal dumping. Our Waste Management Division devotes significant resources towards street cleaning in the North Inner City every day. The cost of dealing with illegal
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Holden Plant Rentals Ltd is now the largest specialist equipment rental company in Ireland supplying Local Authorities nationwide with all their required equipment needs. Holden Plant Rentals has been awarded the exclusive and prestigious multi million Euro contract to supply and maintain Dublin City Council's new fleet of street sweeping vehicles.
Holden Plant Rentals partnered with major European manufacturers can obtain the most suitable equipment and best value for City and County Councils nationwide. Supplying fleets that consist of Motorcycles, Cars, Vans, Tipper Trucks, Cranes, 4x4's, Road Sweepers, Street Scrubbers, Refuse Trucks, Street Washers, Tractors, Diggers, Loaders, Trailers, Compressors, Road Lining machines, Mower's, Snow Plough's, Gritter's, Mobile Power Pack's and Utility vehicles.
We are dedicated to supplying and servicing Local Authorities with Complete fleet management, Operation management, GPS tracking, Contract control and Real time Online Fleet management.
Holden Plant Rentals Ltd Mullinavat, Co. Kilkenny Tel: 051-898106 Fax: 051-898335 E: info@holdenplantrentals.com
W: www.holdenplantrentals.com
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dumping last year was €670,000ʼ, said Brian Hanney, Waste Management Division, Dublin City Council. The campaign has seen 579 household visits in the area to ensure that waste disposal arrangements are in place. Advisory notices have been issued to non compliant households resulting in 55% of those households having waste disposal arrangements in place. Dublin City Councilʼs Green Schools Officer has visited local schools to educate students about litter prevention. Our Team has also met with voluntary groups in the area to inform them of this campaign and seek their assistance with our Adopt a Street initiative (http://bit.ly/AdoptaStreet) in the North Inner City area. This has resulted in a number of streets being adopted by local voluntary and community groups. Some traffic signal boxes in the area have also been painted under the Traffic Box Art Project to make them more attractive. We will be using hash tag #keepdublinclean on all social media in relation to this campaign. Visit our Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates on our
initiatives.
For further information contact: Dublin City Council Media Relations Office T. (01) 222 2170, Brian Hanney, Senior Executive Officer, Waste Management Divison, Environment and Transportation Department, Dublin City Council. T. (01) 2224475 https://twitter.com/DubCityCouncil www.facebook.com/DublinCityCouncil
Keeping our city clean is a shared responsibility for us all. Help us, Keep Dublin Clean with the Clean Dublin Team.
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New EI Electronics 160e Series: The Next Step In Alarm Evolution Ei Electronics market leader in domestic mains powered Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) detection, unveils the latest in Smoke and Heat Alarm technology with its new 160e Series. With over €350 million of the 160 Series alarms sold to date, the new 160e Series builds on this high quality, reliable and proven technology to produce a cleaner, modern designed alarm containing a whole raft of enhancements to increase protection and performance. The alarms have been completely redesigned to lend themselves to suiting most modern properties and to complement the latest Ei Electronic accessories. The new 160e design is up to 18% slimmer when compared to the previous 160RC Series alarms allowing them to be less obtrusive in the room, whilst maintaining the same easi-fit footprint making it simple to upgrade from previous EI alarms. The units have been made all the easier to install. Additional screw holes have been incorporated into the base to save on installation times with all hole positions matching previous alarm bases, removing the need to drill extra holes. The holes themselves have been adapted to enable N° 8 Screws to be used and bigger terminals have been incorporated to readily accommodate 1.5mm² cable, making it easier to wire. ʻOʼ for Optical and ʻIʼ for Ionisation have been imprinted on the alarm test buttons and colour coding added to the back of every alarm to make it easier to check the right alarm type is being fitted. Components within the alarms provide improved performance in response time and resistance to false alarms. The Ei164e Heat Alarm has a new thermistor giving a faster alarm response when the trigger temperature is reached. The Ei166e Optical Alarm has a new cylindrical sensor chamber encapsulated by a bonded protective mesh to keep out potential contaminates such as dust and insects whilst still allowing the free flow of smoke. With Eiʼs award winning RadioLINK wireless alarm interconnection, a firm favourite of both installers and landlords, the 160e Series of alarms now comes with a plug in RadioLINK+ module negating the need for a separate RadioLINK base. The Ei100MRF RadioLINK+ module simply slots into the alarm and is automatically activated ready to be House Coded in with the rest of the system. Such a design saves on installation time and reduces associated costs.
the exact location the alarms will be when protecting the occupants and dwelling. RadioLINK+ has also made it easier to expand existing systems. With RadioLINK+ only one alarm in the existing system needs putting into Remote House Code mode, which signals to all other devices on the house coded system that a new alarm/accessory needs adding, as opposed to all the alarms. RadioLINK+ has an enhanced self-monitoring function that recognises system tampering or alarm head removal. Each alarm in the system has the ability to identify the alarm with the strongest Radio Frequency (RF) signal and automatically pair with it. At regular intervals, these paired alarms communicate with each other so that if one alarm is removed from its base the other will acknowledge the lack of response with an indicator light and log this in its memory, even if the missing alarm is replaced. It can also send an ʻAlarm Removedʼ signal when connected to an Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface and third party device e.g. Warden Call or other monitoring systems. Designed to provide flexible solutions, delivering the highest quality protection for BS 5839-6 Grade D applications, the new 160e Series includes Optical, Heat and Ionisation Alarm models. These mains powered alarms come with 10 year rechargeable Lithium cells to provide back-up in the event of a mains failure. 160e alarms are compatible with existing Ei alarms and accessories, enabling for full system upgrades or simple system expansion using the new models. The original 160 Series, launched in 1999, has been installed into millions of properties across Ireland and UK. EI Electronics has invested considerably in the range over the years, with a number of key developments such as RadioLINK wireless alarm interconnection and remote control. The 160e is the next evolutionary step forward. All alarms are designed and built in Ireland specifically to meet the European standards and regulations. With more mains powered domestic smoke alarms installed in Ireland and UKʼs social housing than any other manufacturer, EI Electronics is tried, tested and trusted. Ei also offers technical support over the phone and an internal sales team to help with any enquiries.
With the introduction of the RadioLINK+ module, the House Coding slot has now been moved onto the actual alarm making it easy to access and use and, most importantly, enabling all the alarms to be House Coded in situ. This not only makes for quicker installation, but also allows the installer to check RF signal strength at
All Ei Electronics alarms are designed and built in Ireland specifically to meet EU standards and regulations. For more information please contact Tom Meehan, Technical Sales Manager, Mobile: 086 2619357 Office: 061 471277, e-mail: tom.meehan@eielectronics.ie or go to www.eielectronics.com
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Litter Survey Shows Heavily Littered Areas are Cleaning up … at Last But IBAL warns of litter in Dublin City Centre during peak tourist season
The latest survey by the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) alliance shows previous litter blackspots in Dublin and Cork to be improving, but Dublin City Centre slipping in the ranking of 40 towns and cities across the country. The Capital is now deemed “littered” near the foot of the table. The survey showed another improvement in cleanliness levels overall, with 75% of areas as least as Clean as European Norms. Killarney was judged the cleanest town, followed by Dungarvan and Tralee. The An Taisce report lauded Killarneyʼs win as “a fitting result for a town which is at the heart of our tourism product. It is the continuous attention to detail which puts Killarney at the top of the league.”
seeing evidence that when a local authority concentrates its efforts on a problem area, it can bring about results. This could be a turning point, as for years these neglected urban areas showed no improvement whatsoever.” The report praised Dublinʼs North Inner City “which, if progress continues, will soon be Clean to European Norms. Sites such as Irvine Terrace and Store Street were not just clear of litter but carefully presented and maintained. The North Circular Road, Portland Row and Seville Place seem much cleaner than in the past.” However, the former Small Business Centre in Gardiner Street was in a “shocking state” and Spencer Dock suffered from ʻhuge amounts of litter”.
Connecting roads between 34 towns were assessed and found to be less littered than last year. However, much of the Monaghan-Cavan road was heavily littered and ʻcreated a very poor impressionʼ while dumping spoiled the Tallaght to Lucan route. For the first time, no towns were branded as ʻblackspotsʼ or ʻseriously litteredʼ. “The most striking aspect of this survey is the improvement in neglected urban areas such as Dublinʼs North Inner City and Corkʼs Farranree,” says Conor Horgan of IBAL. Both areas have improved from ʻlitter blackspotʼ to ʻlitteredʼ status this time round. “The work of Dublin and Cork City Council is bearing fruit in these areas,” continues Horgan. “While ʻlitteredʼ status is clearly not good enough, we are
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While tourist towns like Killarney, Tralee and Kilkenny performed well, visitors to Dublin City Centre encountered more litter than previously, with even high footfall areas such as Grafton Street and OʼConnell Street slipping to “moderately littered”. The An Taisce report slammed the Manor Street /Brunswick Street/Church Street area as “a litter blackspot, as was a site on Capel Street.”
needs to enforce the law with the landowner,” says Horgan. “Until we see more prosecutions of this nature there will be no real deterrent for offenders.”
“The great majority of tourist towns again showed their best side to tourists this summer,“ comments Horgan. “Unfortunately, for Ireland to project a clean image, we need our Capital City to be free of litter, and this year we are seeing a deterioration in cleanliness levels in Dublin City Centre, and indeed several roads around Dublin Airport, where most of our visitors enter the country.” The survey, carried out by An Taisce on behalf of IBAL, showed sweet papers, cigarette butts, fast food wrappers and chewing gum were the most common forms of litter. Dog fouling, while not as prevalent, continues to be a source of public concern, according to IBAL. “Where special bins are used to collect dog waste, they need to be emptied in tandem with demand. Otherwise they become unhygienic eyesores, as is the case with many recycling facilities,” says Horgan. 1 in 10 shopping centres were litter blackspots, among them Mulvoy Park in Galway, where shrubbery was “choked with heavy levels of all manner of food related litter” and both the Arcadia Retail Park and Diskin Centre in Athlone which was described as “seriously neglected and abused” and “in a dreadful state” “It is not always easy to identify where responsibility lies for littered sites in a town, but in the case of shopping centre car parks the local authority just
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A case-study of the merger of Tipperary County Council Joanna OʼRiordan and Richard Boyle, Institute of Public Administration
The merger of the former North and South Tipperary County Councils took place in June 2014 following the local government elections. In conjunction with Tipperary County Council, the Institute of Public Administration have conducted a review of the merger which was published by the IPA in June 2015. The merger happened within the context of an extensive programme of public service cost reduction and also the Putting People First local government reforms. Combined with the latter, the merger represented a major reform of local government arrangements in Tipperary. Notwithstanding the fact that a full assessment of the Tipperary merger wonʼt be possible for a number of years, it is still possible to begin to assess outcomes against the stated objectives of the merger to date. Deliver the merger effectively and on time: The establishment of Tipperary County Council happened on schedule on 3 June 2014. Given the scale of the merger project and the number of stakeholders involved, it is the view of the researchers that the merger was managed effectively. The merger implementation phase involved a period of very intense work in order to ensure the merger happened on schedule. Many aspects of the work were managed with considerable precision and, in the case of workforce planning it is widely acknowledged that the process was managed on a person by person basis and with a high level of sensitivity. While the merger took place on time, many staff and councillors expressed concerns about the implications of the merger for the operation of the organisation. The Council is now in a phase of consolidating the merger, addressing various concrete concerns of staff and elected representatives with regard to the merger. Maintain delivery of services across the county: The terms of reference refer to an ʻorderly transition to the unified authority, while maintaining effective service deliveryʼ. The merger happened with
minimum disruption to service and without the unforeseen closure of any public desks. A number of information campaigns were held to inform citizens about the merger and some initiatives were put in place to accommodate those who might have been disadvantaged from a services perspective from the closure of the town councils and area offices which occurred at the same time as the merger. Considerable care was also taken to support elected representatives with regard to the merger, though there were challenges for councillors arising from the changes, mostly to so with the abolition of town councils and reduction in the number of councillors rather than the merger itself. Maximise resource deployment and savings: The terms of reference refer to ʻactions necessary to maximise cost reductions and efficienciesʼ. The implementation plan estimated that once revised staffing levels were reached, gross savings of €6.1 million a year would be achieved over an extended period. It identified that these would arise primarily from reduced pay-roll costs, amounting to €4.8 million. The realisation of these savings is occurring at a faster rate than anticipated by the implementation plan. By February 2015, savings in excess of €3 million have been achieved. This figure is based on departures since the merger was announced, less those posts refilled with the approval of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The costs of the merger included one off expenditure on IT harmonisation, office improvements and
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corporate branding amounting to €1.7 million, somewhat lower than the anticipated figure. Recurrent costs, occasioned by the harmonisation of corporate rates in the former North Tipperary County Council area to the level that applied in South Tipperary County Council will be €330,000 per annum. Maximise economic development opportunities for the county: As a larger authority, well positioned at the centre of the new Southern Region, Tipperary County Council is committed to contributing to the regional economic and spatial strategy once the regional structures are in place. A new corporate plan was adopted by the council in March 2015 and the local economic and community plan has also been published. These plans set the context for enhanced economic and community development in the merged Tipperary County Council. Realising benefits of the merger A key driver for the Tipperary merger was cost reduction. However, the implementation plan also refers to benefits for the county from the merger. Over the course of this study, many other opportunities were noted by senior managers and staff. While of value in themselves, realising benefits is also critical to maintaining the morale and commitment of all staff who have contributed at a very high level to ensuring a positive outcome to date. Lessons learned The merger of two large public service organisations was not common in Ireland prior to the announcement of the mergers in Tipperary, Limerick and Waterford. For those involved, the process was challenging in many respects but also involved opportunities for development. In the course of the consultation for this report, on a number of occasions learning was identified which is likely to provide guidance to other public service organisations engaged in reorganisation. The suggestions made are also supported by the public management literature around mergers and amalgamations. The comment most often repeated by those consulted was the importance of resourcing the merger at a very high level. While the commitment and work effort of all line managers is important, in order to ensure normal service is maintained, it is essential to put a senior manager full-time on the merger. As with any change management project, leadership from the top is regarded as critical. Effective merger leadership also requires a very high degree of involvement and time from the chief executive/s. In this regard, personal effort on the part of the chief executive/s, for example visiting staff in all organisation sites, is very worthwhile.
In the case of the Tipperary merger it was suggested that ʻcommunication with staff was good but it could have been betterʼ. While challenging in large organisations, efforts to ensure that staff hear messages directly from senior management rather than a top-down approach, whereby line managers are expected to pass on information is desirable. Employing many different means of communication, such as staff bulletins and road shows is also useful with emails only one, perhaps limited, means of communication. Finally, huge time and attention needs to be taken to ensure that communications of a personal nature, for example changes in roles or work locations, are managed in a very sensitive manner. Failures in this regard have the potential to cause huge resentment. Recognising and addressing cultural differences between the organisations to have merged has a huge bearing on merger consolidation. In particular, different management styles and different approaches to service delivery will need to be reconciled. It is important, though this takes time and energy, that neither organisationʼs way of doing things is imposed on the other organisation, but instead that a new way of doing things that draws on the best of both emerges. Harnessing the support and good will of staffʼ is regarded as a key success factor in Tipperary. Involving staff at all levels in the project as required, but it is recommended as early as possible, will contribute to higher levels of engagement with the idea of the merger. Identifying key staff and giving them responsibility for delivering on specific merger projects will be essential during the merger implementation phase. Finally, recognising the considerable work effort and contribution of staff is essential for merger consolidation. Concluding comments The study did not take a value position as to whether merger was a good thing or not. The main focus of the study was how the merger was managed once the decision to merge was taken. The study also primarily focused on administrative rather than political implications of the merger. There are no ʻquick fixesʼ with regard to merger consolidation, it takes time to develop a new organisation culture. In order to support this process the management team at the Council are now committed to addressing general work-related issues, dealing with specific problems to have arisen in a small number of sections, and other initiatives aimed at supporting a new, unified culture.
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Tipperary County Council proactive in delivery of EU part funded projects A Strategic Projects Unit was set up in October 2014 within the Community & Economic Development Directorate of Tipperary County Council (TCC). It is staffed by former personnel of the South-East Regional Authority (SERA) which was abolished under the Local Government Reform Act, 2014. Both of the projects featured here were transferred to TCC to see out to completion.
FIERE Project Tipperary County Council is the co-ordinator of the EU Lifelong Learning GRUNDTVIG part-funded project called “FIERE (Furthering Innovative Entrepreneurial Regions of Europe)”. FIERE is a two-year project concluding in December 2015 and involves a further six organisations from across the EU. FIERE aims to enhance local and regional organisations in the public and community/voluntary sectors with innovative entrepreneurship skills that can facilitate bottom-up local/regional development and tie-in with top-down development policies. Since January 2014, the partners have been managing the project's local and international activities and exploring the role of innovative entrepreneurship in their respective regions, culminating in development of a short-form Entrepreneurial & Innovative Skills Training Programme. TCC and WIT (the other Irish project partner) ran this Training Programme in September 2015 at Arclabs Research & Innovation Centre, WIT. In excess of 50 participants from public and voluntary organisations took part, with each receiving a Certificate. Information and documentation published by the project can be viewed at www.fiereproject.eu.
Notification of FIERE Project Final Conference “Public and Community Sectors adapting to change through Innovation & New Ways of Doing Things” The FIERE Projectʼs closing transnational Conference will take place on Thursday 12th November 2015 from 9.15 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. in the Brú Ború Cultural Centre, Cashel, Co. Tipperary. This half-day Conference will appeal to research institutions, public agencies and community/voluntary organisations and individuals. It will be attended by representatives from the FIERE projectsʼ EU partners. Participants will learn about examples of current research and practice in public and community sectors which are adapting to change through innovation. Case studies will be presented showcasing how organisations have successfully implemented “innovative” and “entrepreneurial” ways for improving their impact and performance. Participants will also have the opportunity to network. There will be no fee for attending.
To register e-mail angela.sheehan@tipperarycoco.ie. LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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ESPY Project The Experimentation on Social Policy for Youth (ESPY) project is part of the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013). The programme is implemented by the European Commission. The ESPY project involves organisations from regions in Spain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal as well as Tipperary County Council. The aim of the project is to develop, test, disseminate and replicate innovative youth activation measures in order to prevent youth unemployment and exclusion. The ESPY project is aimed at young people between 15 and 24 years old living in rural and peripheral areas who are unemployed, have dropped out of school or are at risk of dropping out and face multiple barriers to access the labour market. Innovation measures are to be implemented to prevent early school leaving, youth unemployment and consequential social exclusion.
ESPY Project partners at their Steering Committee Meeting held in Cashel, County Tipperary.
As part of their participation in the project, Tipperary County Council hosted a project Steering Committee Meeting of all the partners in Cashel, County Tipperary in Sept, 2015. TCC also co-hosted a Transnational Conference with Tipperary Regional Youth Services. The theme of the Conference was ʻMental Health & Youth Unemploymentʼ. The topic generated great interest and was very well received and attended by over 125 people. A Baseline Analysis Report on youth unemployment in County Tipperary and a Resource Guide for young job seekers have been prepared as part of project activity by the County Council and were both launched at the Conference and available at www.tipperarycoco.ie and www.trys.ie . For further information about the ESPY project see www.espyproject.eu or contact the Strategic Projects Unit, Tipperary County Council at 0761 06 5000 about either project.
These projects have been supported with funding from the European Commission.
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G overnment Agrees Local Property Tax Allocations for 2016 The Government has agreed the Local Property Tax (LPT) Allocations for 2016; 80% of LPT will be retained locally to fund vital public services in 2016. The remaining 20% will be re-distributed to provide top-up funding to certain local authority areas that have lower property tax bases due to the variance in property values across the State. Given that local authorities vary significantly from one another in terms of size, population, public service demands, infrastructure and income sources, the Government has decided that no local authority will be worse off in 2016 compared to 2015. Similarly, the Government is also very aware of the fact that people living in certain local authority areas, particularly our large cities, will pay proportionately more LPT due to the amount of property tax paid in these areas. The Government has therefore decided that, in the same manner as was agreed in 2015, local authorities who stand to receive more income in 2016 from LPT than they received previously from the Local Government Fund in 2014, will be entitled to use a certain portion of that additional
funding for their own discretionary purposes as part of their normal budgetary process. That portion will be an amount equal to 20% of the total expected LPT income for each local authority (before any decision to vary rates) or alternatively the full amount of the additional funding where that is less than the value of 20% of LPT income. Local authority elected members have been given the power to decide whether or not to increase or decrease LPT rates by up to 15% for 2016 and must inform the Revenue Commissioners of their intentions by the 30th of September. Minister Alan Kelly, T.D, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, said today, “These measures will provide certainty and balance to the finances of local Government and give councillors a greater say in how their authorities are funded, ensuring 80% of LPT is spent locally. All local authorities will be funded to their 2015 levels.�
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authorities will benefit from top-ups from the equalisation fund. These measures are necessary to create a balanced system of funding across local authorities.”
“While local authority members have full discretion over whether to reduce or increase the local LPT rate, I would ask them to be mindful of certain vital local services that could benefit from that funding such as homelessness services.” “The Government has today provided certainty in relation to top-ups for those local authorities with lower property tax bases. Nineteen local
“Similarly, we have also recognised the contribution made by other local authorities with property bases with greater values by providing additional discretionary income for them. This will allow local authorities where property tax levels are highest to implement a full 15% reduction of the LPT should the elected members vote for it or alternatively to increase the level of public services that they are providing. The Local Property Tax is designed to become a stable and sustainable source of funding and will enable local authorities to become more selfsufficient in terms of their funding. This will provide Government with more options in terms of other taxation and expenditure policies in our future budgets.”
Construction Sector Employment Grows by 18.5% in the last Year– Minister Coffey Minister for Housing, Planning and Construction Paudie Coffey T.D.,has welcomed the figures released by the CSO which show a significant increase in employment in the Construction Sector. Last year the government published the Construction 2020 strategy, one of the key actions in that strategy was the addition of 60,000 jobs in the sector by 2020 and to increase housing supply to meet demand; in its first year 19,600 jobs have been created in the sector.
with the continued delivery of the Construction 2020 Strategy. In the last year we have seen employment grow by almost 20,000 to 126,000 people. The number of houses being built is increasing and the number of commencement notices for construction of houses has more than doubled when compared to 2014. The number of planning permissions in the first quarter of 2015 has increased by 97% when compared to the same period in 2014.
“The construction sector suffered a massive decline when the economy collapsed in 2008. The sector at that time was over-heated, it was employing 280,000 people, delivering 90,000 housing units a year and was contributing almost 25% of Irelandʼs GNP. By 2012, the numbers employed had reduced to less than 100,000, the number of housing units had fallen to below 8,000 and the sector was contributing 6.5% of Irelandʼs GNP. “A healthy economy must have a vibrant construction sector, and we are making progress LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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Minister Coffey said; “As the Minister responsible for the sector I am pleased with the recent data that has been released; the sector is showing signs of making a strong and sustainable recovery. The Construction 2020 Strategy is progressing well and actions are being delivered all of the time across the whole of government. “The construction sector is a vital part of the economy right across Ireland as it has the potential to deliver jobs in every town and village. I am confident that the sector has the potential for strong growth over the coming period and we
need to have a healthy construction sector in our economy to help drive economic growth and boost employment further. We must have a sustainable construction sector but we must guard against returning to the boom and bust model that failed the Irish people in the past.” Minister Coffey concluded by saying; “I will continue to work to deliver the Construction 2020 Strategy in a timely fashion across government and with all stakeholders in the sector to ensure that we return the sector to playing a meaningful role in our overall economic model.”
Launch of the Designated Urban Centres Grants Scheme 2014 - 2020 Paudie Coffey TD, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has launched the Designated Urban Centres Grants Scheme 2014 – 2020, in conjunction with the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. The launch, which took place at the House of Waterford Crystal, set out how the Scheme will enable investments in Irish urban centres to the order of €80 million for the period 2014-2020. It will involve European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding of approximately €40 million and matching funding from the local authorities.
Minister Coffey who holds Special Responsibility for Housing, Planning and Coordination of the Construction 2020 Strategy, said “There is a strong correlation between healthy and vibrant urban centres and the creation of an attractive environment and enterprise development within
the wider region. Strong urban centres enable their regions to realise their potential in attractiveness for business investment for Foreign Direct Investment for talent and for tourism and to create conducive and attractive locations for investment and for people to live and work in” The Minister added “This investment in sustainable urban development recognises our cities and towns as the engines of the regional economy. This scheme will provide grant assistance to designated local authorities for urban capital projects. I call on local authorities, in the designated Gateways and Hubs, to avail of this opportunity for ERDF assistance that is being made available for sustainable urban development in their areas”. This ERDF co-funded grants scheme seeks specifically to increase the number of integrated regeneration initiatives to improve the urban environment and revitalise Irish urban areas. It makes available a new round of capital grant assistance for designated urban centres to submit capital projects which fit with their integrated strategies to tackle the social, economic, environmental, climate and demographic challenges affecting them. The objective of this Designated Urban Centres Grant Scheme is to contribute to improvement in the development potential of Irish urban centres by investing in, and enhancing their economic, social and environmental conditions.
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Roadstone Thermal Liteblock Building Energy Efficiency
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n May 2015 Roadstone launched their new Thermal Liteblock system. Thermal Liteblock is a lightweight, durable and thermally efficient concrete block that provides improved energy efficiency in the design and construction of new buildings, and combined with a program of thermal modelling provides our customers with solutions for compliance with the recently revised building regulations. There is now a greatly increased emphasis on minimising heat loss in the fabric of new buildings and particularly thermal bridging that can occur at building junctions. Roadstone始s product development included thermal modelling of a wide range of these building junctions which means that we can provide our customers with design solutions and validated thermal performance calculations, through our technical support team. Roadstone始s product launch program included a number of regional seminars throughout Ireland that were well attended by architects, BER assessors, engineers and building contractors.
Roadstone has thermally modelled each critical junction detail, ACD始s as listed in TGD L 2011 appendix D1, D2, D4 and D6 and has calculated the psi value for each junction. This means we can provide a certified (y) factor calculation to our customers when using the Roadstone Thermal Liteblock system and the improved benefits of this will be evident in the improved BER results for your building. By using the Roadstone Thermal Liteblock System you can comfortably comply with TGD Part L 2011 thermal bridging requirements. Roadstone has now developed a designated page on their website for Thermal Liteblock that includes the product brochure, contact details for our technical support team and a wide range of details that are now available for download. These details are fully certified and have been thermally modelled by our NSAI certified energy consultants Evolusion Innovation, to demonsrtate compliance with TGD Part L.
Please contact one of our technical support team to discuss CPD accredited Liteblock seminars that can be provided in your practice or to discuss design solutions for your project. ROADSTONE LTD. Tel: +353 (0) 1 4041200 Fax: +353 (0) 1 4041321 Email: info@roadstone.ie www.roadstone.ie LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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Irish Cement – Fir st products in Ireland to be awar ded BES 6001 Excellent r ating rish Cement Limited, Irelandʼs leading manufacturer of quality cements have recently become the first company in Ireland to achieve the BES 6001 ʻExcellentʼ rating for their cement products.
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The BRE Environmental and Sustainability Standard, BES 6001, focusses on responsible sourcing and product stewardship, addressing the social, economic and environmental impacts of construction products throughout the supply chain.
In 2011 Irish Cement became the first company in Ireland to be independently certified to BES 6001. Continuous investment and focus on sustainable development has resulted in the companyʼs range of bagged and bulk cement products now being awarded the Standardʼs highest rating.
Further information is available on the Irish Cement website
www.irishcement.ie. LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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Vokèra is delighted to announce that its Unica i32 combi boiler can achieve a market-leading efficiency of 98% under ErP when installed with Class VI controls. This equates to an A+ energy rating and makes one of the most efficient boiler and controls combinations available on the market. The Unica i32 boasts one of the best boiler seasonal space heating efficiency ratings in the UK at 94%. Under the ErP Directive, adding a weather compensation sensor and modulating room senor (Vokèraʼs 711 OpenTherm RF programmable room thermostat) to the Unica i32 gives a 4% efficiency uplift taking the whole package to a market leading 98% space heating efficiency. This is great news for installers as the new ErP Directive will focus on not just single item efficiency but on the whole system.
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For more information on the Unica i range as well as news and updates, visit Vokèra at www.vokera.co.uk or follow Vokèra on: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn LAN LOCAL AUTHORITY NEWS
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