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Tag Archives: Pat Dowling

council faces €19.7 million deficit

CLARE County Council is facing a potential deficit of €19.7 million as a result of the collapse in economic activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it emerged this week. Deputy Cathal Crowe has called on the government to intervene with additional funding to prevent the need for the local authority to request businesses to pay commercial rates next August. Even though local businesses have got a three-month commercial rates payment deferral, Deputy Crowe believes the government needs to address this issue to avoid a situation where the council will be seeking rates that are already owed. The Meelick Deputy said it is unfair to pubs and restaurants to be paying full commercial rates next Autumn. He pointed out a lot of the council’s expenditure can’t be cut because one of its biggest outlays is its wage bill. If the council has to reduce expenditure, he expressed fears that works on capital projects such as roads will have to be scaled …

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Council CEO calls for ‘champions’ in battle against Covid-19

CHAMPIONS are needed in every family and parish across the county in order to win the battle against the coronavirus, according to the CEO of Clare County Council. Making an appeal to the public to continue to stick to government guidelines and to avoid complacency, as Ireland sets out on the road to re-opening, Pat Dowling also thanked the public for their efforts to-date. “We are very grateful for all of the sacrifices everyone has made,” he said. “We understand that there can be slippage and fatigue, but we must continue to comply, and to adapt in order to survive. We have to persevere in order to prevail. We have civil leadership from all of our agencies who continue to collaborate, and who are used to working together for the greater good. What we need now is deeper leadership and people who are willing to be champions of the cause in every family and in every parish, because we must …

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Council give update on available services

Clare County Council says it is continuing to make public services as accessible as possible during the ongoing health crisis despite all council offices being closed to the public until further notice. The closure of office buildings came into effect following the Government’s introduction of new restrictions on Friday. “Clare County Council continues to deliver vital public services in the challenging circumstances arising from the Coronavirus emergency,” stated Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council on Monday. He continued, “Clare County Council staff will ensure continuity of our essential and critical services across our key operations and the Council’s Crisis Management Team will continue to meet on an ongoing basis. Clare County Council’s response is informed by advice received from the HSE and Public Health Authorities and is subject to ongoing review.” Members of the public requiring assistance relating to a local authority service are requested to contact Clare County Council by phone (065-6821616) or email (customerservices@clarecoco.ie) between 9am and 5pm, Monday to …

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Council offices closed but hubs remain open

Following the Government’s announcement of new measures to minimise the spread of COVID-19, Clare County Council has confirmed that local authority offices, cultural facilities, and sports and recreation buildings will be closed to the public until March 29. However, Clare County Council’s Digital Hubs in Kilrush, Ennistymon, Feakle and Miltown Malbay will remain open to users. Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, said, “The Local Authority is taking actions we believe are appropriate to minimise the spread of the virus. Council staff will present for work to ensure a continuity of service across our key operations,” he added.  Mr. Dowling said the Local Authority’s Crisis Management Team will continue to meet on an ongoing basis as well as liaise with Government Departments and agencies across the Mid West Region.  List of closed Council-supported facilities: •    Áras Contae an Chláir, Ennis •    Municipal District Offices in Shannon, Kilrush, Ennistymon, Scarriff and Shannon •     All public branch libraries •     Local Studies Centre and …

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Council mark 120th anniversary of first meeting

At its April monthly meeting on Monday (April 8) Clare County Council marked the 120th anniversary of the first ever meeting of the local authority, which took place in the Grand Jury Rooms of Ennis Courthouse on April 22, 1899. The ceremony featured presentations by Pat Dowling (Chief Executive) and Dr John Treacy of Clare County Council on the history of Clare County Council and the origins of the local authority. Mr Treacy is writing a book on the history of local government in Clare which is due for publication in May 2020. The ceremony also featured musical entertainment by piper Blackie O’Connell in memory of the famed Clare piper, Garret Barry. The piper died on the same week that the first elections to Clare County Council were held in April 1899. To mark the 120th anniversary of the first meeting of Clare County Council, the original minutes of the first meeting as well as an original copy of the …

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€661k upgrade of Kilkee Fire Station

Clare County Council has today (Friday) signed contracts for the delivery of a €661,000 upgrade and extension of Kilkee Fire Station. The project involves the construction of an extension to the rear of the existing building including a new drying room and BA servicing /compressor room, and the provision of a lecture room and kitchenette on a new first floor, new mezzanine floor for storage, female shower and toilet facilities with disabled access, two roller shutter doors and various other upgrade to services. The contract is being funded by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, which is providing €661,000 for all costs,including construction costs and design fees. Kilkee Fire Station is being relocated to Dough in order to facilitate construction work which will commence in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed during early 2019. Mayor of Clare, Tom McNamara, said,“The signing of this contract represents a …

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Councillors support rates increase in Ennis and Kilrush

BUSINESSES in Ennis and Kilrush will be hit by a hike in the commercial rate for the third consecutive year, after a majority of Clare county councillors supported the council’s controversial policy of rates harmonisation. Despite opposition from Ennis councillors and Kilrush Councillor Ian Lynch, rates harmonisation was supported by 17 votes to eight. Councillors also voted to approve the 2018 Budget Estimates by 17 votes to eight, after a two and a half hour meeting. Councillor Pat Hayes proposed the adoption of the estimates and this was seconded by Councillor Joe Cooney. According to the council, the latest increase amounts to 2.66% in Ennis in the annual rateable value and 3.94% in Kilrush. Chief executive officer Pat Dowling outlined that the Local Government Reform Act 2014 set out a process whereby the differences in rates multipliers between the former towns and the former county area have to be eliminated over time. This process commenced in 2016. At the same …

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Dowling critical of Government’s NPF plan

THE chief executive of Clare County Council has said that the Government’s National Planning Framework (NPF) will “undermine” potential investment options in Clare and the Mid-West. Pat Dowling, who is also the chair of the Mid-West Chief Executive’s Group, said the region’s three local authorities will soon make a joint submission to Government stressing the need for the NPF to correct economic imbalances across the island. Among the targets outlined by the group, which includes representatives of Clare County Council, LIT, UL, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Shannon Group and private enterprise, is the expansion of the Clare campus of UL, the development of a conference centre within the county, securing Shannon Airport as the designated airport for the Wild Atlantic Way and promoting indigenous industry in rural areas. Speaking on behalf of members, Mr Dowling expressed concern that the draft NPF “does little to redress the existing economic imbalance across the country and, in its current form, will undermine future …

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