I was privileged to be elected in 2019 as Vice President of the Association of Irish Local Government, the national representative body for Ireland’s 949 councillors. The mission of the Association is to represent and support the role of our elected councillors and to be a strong voice for local communities through effective local government.
It has been a particularly busy year, in spite of the constraints imposed by Covid-19 restrictions. We addressed several important national policy issues, including the plans for Directly Elected Mayor for Limerick, the Review of Traveller Accommodation, the Higher Education Bill, the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy. We undertook a successful strategic review of the organisation, introduced new supports for councillors, and made strong representations to government for improved pay and conditions to reflect the reality of the role and workload of the modern councillor.
I was particularly pleased and privileged to chair the first national network meeting for women councillors, as part of AILG’s commitment to support women’s participation in local government, which laid the foundation for AILG’s continued intention to promoting diversity in local government.
I am proud to be part of the national team of local councillors who work tirelessly for communities across the length and breadth of Ireland. I look forward to keeping on working within AILG to support councillors who are an essential strand of local democracy and local community service.
N.B. Photos from the course of the last year, before the time of Covid-19 and social distancing. #staysafedundrum
