Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Richard Finn welcomes the Local Authorities Success at Chambers Ireland Awards
Date: 27-11-2020
Cllr Richard Finn, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council welcomed news of Mayo County Councils success at the 2020 Annual Chambers Ireland Awards acknowledging the prestigious win of ‘Local Authority of the Year’ for Mayo County Council. Commenting on the record number of awards, he extended heartfelt congratulations to all involved in all projects.
“Success like this does not happen overnight. It has taken years of hard work by a dedicated staff of Mayo County Council and by a dedicated management team over years in Mayo County Council. Des Mahon, Peter Hynes recently retired CE, and Interim CE Peter Duggan, all of whom were and are Chief Executives of distinction.
Success can also be attributed to a team of Councillors from all sides who strive to keep County Mayo ahead of all the rest.
I am honoured to be the Cathaoirleach at this time to accept the great honour on behalf of the Management, Chief Executive, Directors of Service, Staff and all Elected Members of Mayo County Council and Mayo people.
Congratulations to you all on being chosen overall winner of the Local Authority of the Year for 2020”
Winning Projects
Health & Wellbeing - Making Positive Choices is a collaborative project which addresses road safety issues on the Mayo Islands. Its focus was on emphasising to young people the importance of making positive choices and providing them with the necessary tools and knowledge to prevent collisions and road traffic incidents in future.
Local Authority Innovation - Weather Impact Register App, is a simple tool for local authorities (and other state agencies) to record and collate the actual impacts and some of the associated costs of climate change in their areas. The GIS based dataset together with the dashboard and filters developed alongside the App will provide a spatial distribution of risks and vulnerability and help identify the increasing severity and frequency of events that will inform climate adaptation planning.
Festival of the Year - Virtual Mayo Day 2020. In this extraordinary year of 2020, the people of Mayo got together again (virtually) with pride and with hope for Mayo Day, 2nd May. The virtual Mayo Day Live Show was a mix of chat, interviews, music, and messages of hope and solidarity for a special Mayo Day from well-known people from Mayo and those who love our county. The show concluded with the launch of a poignant and beautiful short film for Mayo Day called #OceansApart by Lorcan Hynes, a haunting film depicting how emigration and Covid-19 restrictions have impacted on Mayo families and friendships.
And shortlisted nominees in two other categories:
Sustainable Environment - A Sustainable Agricultural Strategy for Mayo. Mayo is a rural county where agriculture plays a vital role in underpinning the rural economy. Mayo County Council has engaged with stakeholders to develop a sustainable agriculture strategy that will drive economic development, support employment and create sustainable jobs in the county. The purpose of this strategy is to set out a series of actions that will help Mayo capitalise on opportunities and overcome barriers to developing this critical component of the local economy.
Age friendly - Through the Ages is a unique collaboration set up during Covid- 19 Lockdown 2020. Participants, aged 6 to 16, were asked to interview their grandparents about their memories of childhood and to record these stories in essay format for publication in a souvenir magazine, as well as for preservation in the Local History section of Mayo County Library. Interviews took place remotely due to the Covid restrictions and all participants were encouraged to handwrite their essays, thus creating a very authentic record for preservation in Mayo County Library.