Wicklow County Council has been crowned Council of the Year in Ireland in prestigious national awards.
Council of the Year recognises a local authority which has gone above and beyond for the people of the community and developing continuously a range of innovative projects and initiatives which improve and enhance the social, environmental, cultural and economic aspects of community lives.
The fantastic accolade for the County came as Wicklow County Council also won six other honours in the annual LAMA All Ireland Community and Council Awards.
Wicklow was judged to be Council of the Year in the awards which were presented in a special ceremony in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin on Saturday night.
The 2022 All Ireland Community & Council Awards are presented by IPB Insurance and LAMA (the Local Authority Member’s Association) to recognise and celebrate the outstanding work being carried out by Local Authorities in their Communities all over Ireland.
These awards recognise and illustrate the collaborative work between Wicklow County Council, the community and volunteers creating a better place to live and work in Wicklow.
In addition to Council of the Year, Wicklow County Council won six other awards across different categories on the night:
- Wicklow Sustainable Development Goals Mapping Tools won Gold in Best Environmental or Ecological Project or Initiative.
- Carrig Eden Housing Project won Gold in Best Social Housing Project/Initiative
- Wicklow Tourism Passport won two awards – Silver in both Best Tourism Initiative and Best Arts/Culture Initiative (inc. festivals & events)
- San Remo Housing Project won Silver in Best Community Health Initiative
- Arklow Courthouse & Enterprise Hub won Silver in Best Local Authority Innovation for Attracting Inward Investment.
Commenting on the achievement, the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Shay Cullen said: “I am delighted that Wicklow County Council has been recognised nationally by these awards and I would like to congratulate all involved. I particularly want to pay tribute to the Management and Staff for all their hard work, it is recognition of the fact that so many people in the local authority are delivering great projects in our community.”
Chief Executive Brian Gleeson added: “It is a wonderful achievement for Wicklow to be shortlisted for 16 awards and to win across six categories. Being awarded Council of the Year shows the importance of the work and the commitment by our elected members, staff and everyone involved in the great projects delivering excellence in local economic, social and recreational development across our County.”
Wicklow County Council would also like to extend congratulations to Rathnew Afterschool Ray of Sunshine LTD who won Gold in Best CSR Community Programme.
