Meath County Council has been shortlisted in no less than five categories of the Excellence in Local Government Awards.
Chambers Ireland, the representative group for Irish business, released the shortlist for the 2021 awards which are held in partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and highlight the positive impact of local government across Ireland.
In total, 90 projects from 20 local councils have been announced as finalists this year.
Meath County Council was shortlisted in the Local Authority Innovation category for its MCC Connect App, which is an invaluable tool to keep their 850 plus employees in touch from wherever they are working. Meath was the first local authority in Ireland to launch such an app.
Meath was also shortlisted in the Initiatives through the Municipal Districts category for their Municipal District Allocation Scheme
Other nominations for MCC came in the Best Library Service category with its “Laptops for Loan” project and in the Sustaining the Arts section.
Meath was also shortlisted in the Age Friendly Initiative category of the awards for the imaginative Meath Purls of Wisdom project which is a joint venture with Age Friendly and Climate Action whose members endeavour to create awareness of the climate crisis with creative knitting projects.
Minister for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD said: “The Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage is delighted to support the annual Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards again this year. In another year that has had many challenges, local authorities have continued to be at the forefront of serving our communities, the arm of the State closest to the citizen.
“The agility of our local authorities is self-evident again this year as we see the continued delivery of excellent and innovative services to local communities nationwide. These awards provide a platform to showcase the activities of our local authorities, allowing us to display and publicly acknowledge the hard work that is done by officials, community groups and their partners in local government, often carried out quietly and behind the scenes.
“I would also like to thank Chambers Ireland for their hard work and commitment, organising and successfully hosting another annual Excellence in Local Government awards. It must be acknowledged that the extensive organisation process commences early in the year and includes communicating and liaising with all 31 local authorities, organising categories and judging panels and hosting the final awards ceremony, which at the best of pre-covid times was always logistically challenging. Their efforts and continued commitment ensures that this annual event continues and gathers momentum annually.”
Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Ian Talbot said: “As an organisation that represents both businesses and communities across Ireland, we have a deep appreciation for the role played by local government in delivering the infrastructure and services needed by towns and cities in every part of the country.
“This has become particularly clear over the last 18 months as local councils responded to a rapidly changing situation. While this was clearly a significant test for all, we can see from the strength of submissions we have received that local government came through this period with flying colours.
“In that context, this year’s awards represent an important opportunity to thank all the members and staff who comprise these organisations for their resilience and hard work. Our communities are stronger for their efforts and we look forward to recognising their achievements in November.”
The award ceremony for the 2020 Excellence in Local Government Awards will take place on Thursday, November 18.
