Press Release for Immediate Release – 1st July 2020
Local authority Covid-19 innovations highlighted on ‘Your Council Day’
The innovative work carried out by local authorities across the country during the Covid-19 crisis will be highlighted during Your Council Day today Wednesday, July 1st.
Across social media, #YourCouncilDay will showcase numerous heroes who have made a difference in supporting their communities through the vital work carried out by councils during lockdown. Local authorities will also provide a ‘behind the scenes’ look at a typical day in the council and highlight all the services councils and their dedicated employees provide.
Social media users throughout the community are also asked to post their experiences of council initiatives using the hashtag #YourCouncilDay. A report carried out by the Local Government Management Agency has revealed the local authority sector devised 216 separate innovations to meet challenges presented by Covid-19.
In 38% of these cases, structures did not previously exist and were specifically set up to deliver Covid-19 services on a short-term basis. “The current crisis has highlighted the true nature of public service in communities across the country,” said Tom O’Neill , Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council.
Speaking about the response to Covid-19 , the Cathaoirleach continued to comment that “Carlow County Council , like all local authorities established a Community Response Forum to co-ordinate a multi-agency response to deliver supports to those who need it while Covid-19 restrictions were in force.“
Speaking about the importance of engagement and communication Kathleen Holohan , Chief Executive with Carlow County Council said “Carlow County Council has a vast array of services and responsibilities and programmes all designed to support and develop the day to day lives of the people who live , work and play in County Carlow”. The Chief Executive continued to say “communicating all the work carried out by the teams in Carlow County Council is essential so that all members of the public are aware of the work , support and value added that the local authority provides and “Your Council Day” is a one way we can focus on this”. The Chief Executive went on to explain “as a local authority we are changing the way we communicate with more focus on having outbound communication and also engagement in digital as an opportunity for communication and engagement as a response to the challenges around Covid-19”. The Chief Executive stated that at present the Local Authority had 34,986 people who regularly engage in online social media which provides significant reach for the message of County Carlow. Kathleen concluded by saying “most recently we have introduced a new online consultation tool which will be utilized for consultation for the County Development Plan , Carlow Town Development Plans , Part 8 processes in the future”
Follow @Carlow_Co_Co or #YourCouncilDay to find out what’s happening in County Carlow during Your Council Day.
More information on the innovations taken by local authorities during Covid-19 is available in an overview report produced by the LGMA available to download here
