Tag Archives: clare county council

REPRESSION of protests in China made headlines across the world in the last week, but weren’t even mentioned when the Chinese ambassador met with Clare County Council on Monday. The local authority hosted China’s Ambassador to Ireland, He Xiangdong, to mark Clare’s twinning relationship with Yunnan Province in China. Yunnan Province, which has a population of more than 46 million, is in the far southwest of China and borders Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. In a statement issued through Clare County Council, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Tony O’Brien said he had been honoured to host the ambassador. “A lot of work and time has been invested in nurturing the relationship between Clare and Yunnan Province and it was an honour to welcome the Ambassador to County Clare. “Though separated by thousands of miles, the twinning relationship has already made significant strides towards bridging this gap through a shared spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding, exchange of knowledge and more importantly, friendship.” …

A NEW appeal has been launched seeking Clare properties to house people who have fled the war in Ukraine. Clare County Council is urging those who have unoccupied properties to offer them as temporary homes. The call is part of a new government initiative, led by local authorities, to make use of unoccupied houses, apartments or holiday homes to house Ukrainian people and families. A tax-free recognition payment of €800 per month is available for properties used to house those arriving from Ukraine. This payment rate applies from December 1, 2022. More than 60,000 people have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine seeking safety and the vast majority need accommodation. Under a new programme, Clare County Council will take offers of houses, apartments, or holiday homes for temporary accommodation, liaise with owners to assess suitability, and arrange for their use by Ukrainian people and families. Property owners can offer homes at offerahome.ie or by contacting Clare County Council via email at: offerahome@clarecoco.ie. …

THE transformation of the site of the former Ennis Boys National School on the Kilrush Road into a new temporary car park has been given the green light by Clare County Council. City Cinemas Ltd have been granted planning permission to provide 156 parking spaces in the town. The car park will include 12 accessible bays and four electric vehicle parking bays. The development will also include minor alterations to the entrances, signage, pedestrian access and internal footpaths and perimeter fencing. Under a condition of planning permission, all vehicular movements leaving the car park are to be monitored in the first six months of its operation. This comes after concerns were raised by the Roads Office of the local authority that increasing numbers of exiting vehicles turning right onto the R475 may cause a safety hazard. After the six months a report is to be submitted to the planning authority and “thereafter, if deemed necessary, the applicant shall signalise the …

Clare County Council has been named Local Authority of the Year 2022 at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards. The Banner county’s local authority was also named overall winner in the ‘Festival of the Year’ and ‘Sustaining the Arts’ award categories. Clare County Council won the overall award for its commitment to serving the community and for raising the area’s profile nationally as a stand-out destination. It was also awarded for the Ennis Mela Festival, which saw over 50 performers from countries worldwide perform alongside local diverse communities from Clare in March. The House! Open Air Aerial Dance Spectacle with Fidget Feet, meanwhile, a dance spectacle that was commissioned by Clare County Council and premiered in Ennis in April won the Sustaining the Arts Award. Five other Clare County Council initiatives were nominated for an Excellence in Local Government Award. Age Friendly Initiative – The accreditation of Ennis as an Age-Friendly town Climate Change – Renewal of site …

SPIRALLING energy prices are providing an electric shock to Clare County Council after costs almost trebled from €2.5 million to about €6 million over the past year. Outlining his Draft Budget 2023, Chief Executive, Pat Dowling has revealed there has been a 250% increase in electricity, fuel and gas up to a level of almost €6 million compared to €2.5 million in 2021. This dramatic increase will only be partially covered by the government who will provide €1.9 million, leaving the council with a considerable shortfall. Mr Dowling also confirmed a further provision of €0.45 million for a combination of energy savings, stabilisation of the market and or additional government supports has been budgeted for. However, this is not confirmed and if the actual energy pricing materialises as forecast, without these additional supports, this will result in a deficit in the income budget for 2023. The chief executive admitted it has been necessary to reduce expenditure in some areas with …

DISABLED parking spaces removed and replaced with Age Friendly parking in Ennis’ Cabey’s Lane will be relocated to the Lower Market area of the town, Clare County Council has confirmed. The Clare Champion was contacted by concerned members of the public who questioned why the disabled parking spaces were transformed into ‘Age Friendly’ spaces, fearing that the disabled spaces had been taken away for good. Can you help us out @ClareCoCo & let us know where those 2 ♿🅿️bays were moved to from Caby's Lane in Ennis? Same 2 spots are now repainted as "Age-Friendly". We had heard changes were made but assumed it meant relocation & not a very different type of relabelling? 🤷🏻‍♂️❓ pic.twitter.com/LRoyO0d9gE — The Struggle Is Wheel (@struggleiswheel) November 21, 2022 A council spokesperson has explained that the space available at Cabey’s Lane did not meet the current design standards for disabled parking. New disabled parking bays are to be installed in the Lower Market area …

NORTH Clare’s response to those fleeing the war on Ukraine has been described as “a long haul exercise”, that now needs a clear plan as well as ring-fenced funding support. Figures released this week by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the Ennistymon Local Electoral Area (LEA) continues to be the area hosting the largest number of Ukrainian arrivals in the country, per capita. While the reception provided in the area since February was commended by the West Clare Cathaoirleach, Shane Talty, he said the ongoing challenges need to be properly and urgently addressed. Up to November 6, there were 3,567 arrivals from Ukraine in Clare with 45% or 1,592 living in the Ennistymon LEA. Arrivals from Ukraine now account for 8.8% of the population in the area. The figure, according to CSO data, shows that North Clare is supporting far more newcomers than areas of a similar size around the country. CSO analyst Karola Graupner said: “Our analysis …

FOUR Fianna Fáil candidates have been selected for convention to see who will be co-opted onto Clare County Council and fill a vacant seat in the Ennis Municipal District. This follows the departure earlier this year of former Ennis Municipal District councillor Mark Nestor who announced he was leaving politics to join the priesthood. The Ennis Fianna Fáil Comhairle Ceantair have confirmed that Bernard Hanrahan, Amanda Major, Darragh McAllister and Tom O’Callaghan will be vying to fill the open seat on the local authority. The convention to determine who will take the place of Nestor is set to take place later this month. Clarecastle’s Bernard Hanrahan is no stranger to the chambers of Clare County Council and is a staunch member of the Fianna Fáil party having served as a councillor in the Ennis area for a decade from 1999 to 2009. Amanda Major, who is originally from Nigeria, has lived in Clare for 18 years becoming an Irish citizen …