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All Things Ireland – Local government dates for you diary!

As celebrations peaked last Friday with the leader of the free world predicting “Mayo for Sam”, this week we collate the key local government updates, important policy briefings for your week and the need-to-know local government conferences for the month ahead!

LGIU Ireland updates you may have missed!

The state of the private rental market: Rents, affordability, and related issues in Ireland

Open to LGIU members only 🔒 

This briefing looks at the condition of the Irish home rental market. It reflects on the continuing pressures on rental properties which remain notwithstanding some easing of the growth in rents in recent months. The briefing will be of interest to those addressing the delivery of housing generally and more specifically should be of interest to elected members and housing officials in local government as well as those delivering rental housing across the public and private markets in Ireland.

Thinks Big Space! Library innovation in South Dublin County Council

Open to everyone 🟢 

Next up in our series of articles showcasing the latest local government innovation from the Chambers Ireland 2022 Excellence in Local Government Awards, South Dublin County Council tells us about Think Big Space in South Dublin Libraries.

Sharing lessons from Ireland and Spain on actions to tackle child poverty

Open to LGIU members only 🔒 

This briefing explains the fundamentals of the EU Child Guarantee, compares the national plans from Ireland and Spain, and suggests some areas of action for local authorities to address child poverty. This will be of interest to everyone working in children and family services as well as those responsible for forward planning services.

Key local government dates for your diary!

The state of the private rental market: Accommodation availability

Open to LGIU members only 🔒 

Accommodation availability and affordability are the main overarching issues in the private rental market, the first of which is considered in this briefing, which reviews how the market has evolved, factors underlying factors, and questions regarding future prospects. The related issue of rents and affordability will be considered shortly in a further briefing.

26 April – Climate Action Economic Opportunities – Local Authorities Supporting Enterprise Conference. Find out more and book here!

26 Apr 2023 to 27 Apr 2023 – Reimagining the Irish City and Town. Hosted by the Academy of Urbanism and Galway City Council, find out more and reserve your spot here!

11 & 12 May 2023- Housing Practitioners’ Conference. Discussing best practices and policies on housing, click here to find out and save a seat!

Reports and updates for local authorities

Oireachtas report: Feb to March 2023

Open to LGIU members only 🔒 

This is the latest briefing on parliamentary affairs impacting local government. It includes references to key legislation and issues in the Oireachtas between mid-February and mid-March. It should be of interest to everyone keeping an eye on Irish Parliamentary matters and how they can impact local government. A special briefing on the new planning legislation will be published shortly.

A new Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) Scheme aims to help tenant households who face the termination of their tenancy due to the landlord’s intention to sell.

Cork County Council is to look at its Rural Design Guide to consider an easing of the rules around where wooden cabin structures can be built.

Alongside the Housing First National Office, the Housing Agency announced that tenancy sustainment rate for Housing First tenants is 86 per cent, demonstrating the positive impact of the programme in addressing long-term homelessness.

10,263 social homes were delivered in 2022 through build, acquisition and leasing. This represents an 11.9% increase on 2021 figures when 9,169 social homes were provided and the highest numbers since 1975.

All-Island pollinator plan – As of March 2023, all 42 councils and local authorities on the island of Ireland have formally signed up to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.

The Housing Agency’s Procurement unit issued new guidance on the provision of “design and build” housing projects using modern methods of construction under the Housing for All’s goal of finding innovative developments in the delivery of housing.

New National Demand Management Strategy, which aims to reduce congestion in our towns and cities, improve air quality, and provide more and safer space for public transport, walking and cycling.

The Report on Relevant Public Land from the Land Development Agency sets out how state-owned lands can be used for the delivery of housing. Over a total of 83 sites, the LDA identified the potential for 67,000 affordable homes and offers “expert analysis” for the use of sites with the sites located in Dublin (38), Cork (14), Limerick (6), Galway (8) and Waterford (4), Sligo (4), Letterkenny (2), Dundalk (4), Drogheda (1) and Athlone (2).

Advance your knowledge of Irish local government

All Things Ireland is only one of the many ways LGIU keeps the local government community in Ireland up-to-date on all the key policy developments. To never miss a beat, you need access to our exclusive resources and our full Daily News service – one email, every morning with everything you need:

  • breaking news;
  • briefings;
  • reports;
  • training;
  • events;
  • and, so much more.

Only available to members – find out more about LGIU membership here.

New funding calls!

Transitioning from the shutdown of Ireland’s extractive peat sector

Open to LGIU members only 🔒 

Ireland’s boglands are among the most important in world terms, and have long been a traditionally accessible and low-cost source of fuel. This briefing looks at how communities are managing the transition from an extraction-based economy.

International local government learnings

Vacancy in Scotland

In this article, Andy Moseley, Policy and Projects Manager at the Scottish Empty Homes Partnerships shines a spotlight on the true scale of vacancy in Scotland and how local government can be forefront in tackling this critical issue head-on.

How vacant offices could offer a solution to Brussels’ housing crisis

A new report by Perspective.Brussels examines whether the city’s housing crisis could be swiftly addressed by converting vacant office space into new homes.

The city currently has a vacant office floor space of over a million square metres. However, not all of it is usable and much of it is located in the city’s more remote industrial areas.

Cities tightening down on troublesome tourists?

Who would you nominate for the Mayor of Venice’s “certificate of stupidity“? A comment made by the Mayor follower a video of tourists jumping from height into a canal. In the same week, the Amsterdam City Council launched an advertising discouragement campaign targeting men aged 18-35 in the UK  to “stay away” as part of the City’s new plans to clean up drug and sex tourism.

Gaelic football in Cambodia?

We have all seen Tipperary and Mayo jerseys trickle down from Trócaire and St Vincent De Paul’s to all corners of the globe, but this week, BBC Sport this week delivered a great piece on how 2 Irish man started a GAA club in Bangkok and now 90% of the Cairde Khmer ranks are Cambodian (BBC Sports).