Galway County Council has been shortlisted for two awards at the annual Excellence in Local Government awards.
Now in their 19th year, these awards are held by Chambers Ireland together with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
This year, 23 councils have been nominated for awards in more than 15 categories, including the new categories of Climate Change, Communications, and Diversity & Inclusion.
The two nominations for Galway County Council are in the Heritage & the Built Environment and Local Authority Innovation categories.
The first is for the ‘Galway Community Archaeology Project’, which liaises with the owners, occupiers, and communities around monuments to monitor their condition and help manage them.
The second nomination is for the county council’s ‘Severe Weather Event Management System’, the first of its kind in Ireland.
This system, rolled out this summer, uses technology to better gather and coordinate data from existing resources and emergency teams, and can disseminate warnings to the public via social media, or through an app.
Minister of State for Planning and Local Government Peter Burke said, “every year I am astounded by the calibre of applications”.
“The officials and councillors who serve their communities have an indisputably positive effect of the lives of citizens, and they should be immensely proud of their achievements”.
He said that over the past two years, local authorities have shown “flexibility and adaptability” to support the community and isolated individuals during the pandemic.
Minister Burke congratulated all the local authorities who submitted applications. “You are commended for the excellent work you do.”
“This annual event is an opportunity to recognise and acknowledge all the hard work carried out throughout the year,” he concluded.
Commenting on the announcement of the shortlist, Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, said that the 80 projects featured showcase the “hard work and ambitious planning” that takes place in local government.
“The Awards are the ideal platform to showcase the inventiveness and innovation that Local Authorities are consistently delivering, which so often goes unnoticed.”
The winners of the Excellence in Local Government Awards will be announced on November 24 at an event in the Crown Plaza Hotel in Santry, with one also being crowned the overall Local Authority of the Year 2022.
