ANNUAL REPORT 2019 FOREWORD Carlow is a progressive, vibrant County which is attractive, inclusive and accessible. Carlow County Council is committed to providing the highest quality public services for local residents, visitors and for new and existing companies, from multinationals to entrepreneurs and SMEs. Creating an environment for economic growth and driving quality of life for all is a priority for this Council. We are pleased to introduce the Carlow County Council Annual Report 2019, which outlines the work of the Council in delivering important public services during the year, all of which contribute to making County Carlow an attractive place in which to work, live and do business. 2019 has seen the strengthening of the Council’s role in economic development and community development and this is welcomed by all. It must be acknowledged that the changing economic climate both at national and local levels have made a defining influence on the extent to which our services are delivered. Despite the reduction in human and financial resources in recent years, Carlow County Council continues to deliver a high standard of service. The Council welcomes the easing of financial restrictions and the improving economic position. Our staff, with the support and leadership of the elected members, continue to maintain and deliver quality services as referenced in our Corporate Plan, whilst also keeping the Council on a firm financial standing. Similar to all local authorities in the country, Carlow County Council relies heavily on government funding. It follows that a reduction in overall funding can profoundly impact on our capacity to deliver our services and any increase in funding enables the Council to leverage these monies to provide additional and enhanced services. The external and internal environments continue to shape and influence the allocation and provision of resources and the strategic direction of Carlow County Council. It is noted that 2019 was a local election year and a new Council took office in June 2019 and following a local government boundary review, the number of Municipal Districts increased from two to three, with the introduction of a new Municipal District for Tullow (which was previously covered by the Carlow Municipal District). We wish to thank the former Council members who retired or did not retain their seats, for their service to the people of Carlow and we welcome the newly elected members and look forward to working with them during their time serving on the Council. We would like to pay tribute to the work being done at Municipal District level and at Strategic Policy Committee level. These committees are invaluable in assisting the full Council in pursuing its objectives and getting through its business. The Commitment of the Councillors and external members is evident from the activities outlined in the report. I express my appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the Elected Members, my colleagues on the management team and the staff of the Council. I am confident, given the abilities and spirit of cooperation that is consistently shown by the elected members and staff that we should be in a position to meet the challenges that lie ahead. John Pender/Cathaoirleach Kathleen Holohan/Chief Executive MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF CARLOW Cllr. Fergal Browne Cllr. John Cassin Cllr. Andrea Dalton Cllr Ken Murnane Cllr. Tom O’Neill Cllr. Fintan Phelan Cllr. Adrienne Wallace MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF TULLOW Cllr. John McDonald Cllr. Charlie Murphy Cllr. John Murphy Cllr. Brian O’Donoghue Cllr. William Paton Cllr. John Pender MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF MUINEBHEAG Cllr. Michael Doran Cllr. Andy Gladney Cllr. Thomas Kinsell Cllr. Arthur McDonald Cllr. William Quinn CORPORATE SERVICES, HUMAN RESOURCES The Corporate Services and Human Resources Section is responsible for the provision and management of a wide range of services which includes Council and Corporate Policy Group meetings, Register of Electors, Freedom of Information and a wide variety of ancillary services relating to the business of the Council. CORPORATE SERVICES • Management of Council and Corporate Policy Group Meetings, Attendance of Councillors at Conferences, Payment of Councillors Allowances and Expenses, Civic Receptions, Linkage with National Bodies such as LAMA and ACCC, and Joint Policing Committees. • Register of Electors • Local Elections • Customer Service • Corporate Communications – Press Releases • Co-Ordination of Customer Service Performance Indicators • Control of Dogs • Coroners Court • Management of Council Property • Preparation of Annual Report • Preparation of Corporate Plan • Ethics Register • Freedom of Information • Ombudsman • Data Protection • Public Relations • Irish Language Scheme • Disability Plan • Schools Business Programme Partnership • Service Indicators co-ordination. • Promotion of new Council initiatives such as Fix My Street and MapAlerter • Major Emergency Management – Communications. Liaison with public, media and Councillors including during severe weather conditions. HUMAN RESOURCES Employees: Headcount at 31/12/2019 = 317 (FTE 282.49 (excluding 45 retained fire-fighters) • Deployment of staff to all service areas • Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection • Training, Learning and Development • Performance Management (PMDS) • Industrial Relations • Staff Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programme • Equality & Diversity • Work Life Balance • Creating a Positive & Safe Working Environment • Workplace Partnership • Superannuation • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) • Implementation of Core HR/Payroll/Superannuation System • Attendance Management • HR Policy Development. The Department also provides co-ordination and leads on the implementation of the Public Service Agreement under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Agreement of 2017. This includes actions required under the following categories: • Restructuring • Shared Services • Procurement • E – Government • Redeployment Carlow County Council has achieved several of the targets and aims of the plan including: • The transfer of payroll, including the superannuation function to MyPay (operated by Laois County Council) • Regional procurement of public lighting contract etc. • Sharing of resources between Carlow Library, new County Museum and Tourist offices • Rationalisation of the revenue collection service • Preparation and implementation of an overarching workforce plan • The transition to a single local authority including Rationalisation of engineering area supervisory structures OMBUDSMAN The Office of the Ombudsman was established to examine complaints from members of the public who feel they have been unfairly treated in their dealings with bodies such as Government Departments, Local Authorities, Health Service Executive etc. Carlow County Council received one complaint in 2019. REGISTER OF ELECTORS The Register of Electors is produced annually and the Register of Electors for the period 2019/2020 issued on the 1st February 2019. The total number of electors registered to vote in the European/Local Elections in May, 2019 was 44,440 (Carlow Local Electoral Area 16,425, Muinebheag Local Electoral Area 13,175, and Tullow Local Electoral Area 14,840. LOCAL ELECTIONS 2019 The Boundary Review Commission established by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government divided County Carlow into three electoral areas for the Local Elections 2019 – Carlow Municipal District, Muinebheag Municipal District and Tullow Municipal District. The local elections and the European Elections 2019 were held on the 24th May, 2019. Thirty one candidates contested for the 18 seats on the County Council. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION The Freedom of Information (FOI) Acts, 1997-2014 gives three legal rights to those seeking access to information held by public bodies covered by the Act: • The right of access to official records created after 21st April 1998 which are held by Government Departments or other public bodies subject to the Act • The right to have personal details on official records corrected or updated when such information is incomplete, incorrect or misleading and • The right to be given reasons for decisions taken by public bodies that affect the requester. A request for information under the Freedom of Information Act must be made, in writing, and should indicate that the information is being sought under the Freedom of Information Act. The number of requests received under the Freedom of Information Act in 2019 was as follows. Number of applications received 93 Number of requests granted 41 and 11 part granted Number of requests refused 33 Live cases at 31st December, 2019 15 Number of internal reviews 2 Number of Appeals to Information Commissioner 2 CONTROL OF DOGS The Control of Dogs Acts 1986 & 1992, Section 2, makes it an offence for a person to keep a dog unless he/she holds a licence for the dog or a general licence covering any number of dogs at specified premises, except those used wholly for official duties by the Gardai, Defence Forces or the Custom & Excise Services. Carlow County Council and Kilkenny County Council operate a joint Dog Warden Service with two Dog Wardens based at Paulstown. Licences issued: 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 = 1,677 Income: 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 = €56,303.11 DOG BREEDING ESTABLISHMENT ACT 2010 The Council has also developed protocols for risk assessments and inspection guidelines to act as a template for site assessments. The Council is now conducting at least two