Cox’s Demesne energy-saving project set for European awards

The Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Project which has seen major energy efficiency works carried out on 573 homes in Dundalk was awarded the ‘Best Energy Smart Initiative by a Local Authority’ at the 2014 Community & Council Awards presented by LAMA, the Local Authority Members Association last weekend and now advances to the European finals.

The first phase of the regeneration project saw Dundalk Town Council take on Ireland’s biggest energy efficiency retrofit to date.

Working alongside Electric Ireland and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), €3.3m was invested in energy efficient insulation, boiler installations, draught proofing and the installation of heating controls in the Cox’s Demesne houses.

All this work was carried out free of charge to the residents concerned. The second phase of the Regeneration Scheme now consists of the Ashling Park pilot project, which is looking at improving existing Council housing stock as well as the local physical environment.

The Cox’s Demesne project will now proceed to the prestigious European Finale of the Ace Awards in the Netherlands in autumn. 

Edel Giltenane, Ace Executive Project Manager at awards sponsor Codema, said: “Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Project was selected for its creative approach and its potential as an exemplar project that can be replicated successfully by local authorities across Europe.”

Cox’s Demesne Regeneration Project will join the winners of preliminary rounds in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK at the finale of the Ace Awards.

The award for Best Energy Smart Initiative was presented at a special Community & Council Awards night held by LAMA in the Crowne Plaza, Santry and was hosted by RTÉ presenter Miriam O’Callaghan.

Welcoming the award, Dave Storey, Senior Executive Officer, this week said it was heartening to see recognition for Dundalk’s involvement in a pioneering project.

“A retrofit on this scale had never been carried out in the country until Dundalk Town Council put the wheels in motion and we knew that other authorities around the country were looking on our project as a national pilot scheme.

“We are delighted to receive this award as it shows that others have recognised the immense work that went into offering our residents free energy efficiency upgrades which they will reap the benefits from for many years to come.”

 

Sharkey insists council have lost the confidence of the people despite award win

Cllr Tomás Sharkey

Louth County Council might have won the Council of the Year Award at the Local Authority Managers’ Assocation (LAMA) awards in Dublin at the weekend but according to Sinn Féin councillor Tomás Sharkey they have lost the confidence of the public.

Despite the local authority’s honour at the weekend, Cllr Sharkey says there are major problems facing the council, which he claims takes the shine off the award.

In a statement to Talk of the Town, Cllr Sharkey said: “The award received by Louth County Council last week is down to the work of ordinary public servants. It’s true that good work is done on the ground but too many questions hang over the work of council management and the Fianna Fáil / Fine Gael coalition that hogs power.

“We are 5 months into an investigation around the purchase of houses from housing section management and still no report is available.

“The local government auditor has raised questions around the valuation of lands bought for housing during the boom with cash reserves.

“Three years after Councillor Jim Loughran requested it, we have no full list of lands bought by the Council.

“Last year Dundalk Women’s Aid Refuge turned away 293 requests for help while the Council cut funding.

“The culture of junkets is alive and well amongst some councillors. Thousands of euro are spent on junkets despite the fact that the council doesn’t have a training plan as required since 2010.

“Up until last week the council management calculated domiciliary care allowances as income for charging rent. Louth was one of the last councils to end this mean practice.

“In 2013, applications for disability grants were accepted for only 5 weeks due to lack of funds.

“Over recent months I have met more and more people who are raising concerns about our council and I cannot disagree with them. We in Sinn Féin have a daily battle to ensure openness, fairness and transparency in Louth County Council. We face resistance at every monthly meeting.

“Though we appreciate the hard work of ordinary public servants, we caution against this award being seen as an endorsement of the culture we see in the council chamber,” he said.