Mayo County Council was named Local Authority of the Year at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards which took place today (26 November 2020). The 17^th annual Awards ceremony was held online and is organised in association with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It showcases and celebrates the best of Local Government in Ireland.

In a Joint statement from Mayo Chambers: Ballina Chamber, Ballyhaunis Chamber and Westport Chamber they stated ;

“We are absolutely delighted for Mayo County Council and would like to congratulate them on their well- deserved success, they thoroughly deserve the accolade of Local Authority of the Year in Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards 2020. 

We all have an excellent relationship with Mayo County Council in our respective Municipal areas and have found that during 2020 especially they very much had the Community at heart.  This year’s theme which is very fitting is Community Engagement and Mayo County Council won 3 out 5 categories they were nominated in. The three winning projects are the Making Positive Choices project in the Health & Wellbeing category; Weather Impact Register App – WIRE in the Local Authority Innovation category; and Virtual Mayo Day 2020 in the Festival of the Year category The two other short-listed projects were A Sustainable Agricultural Strategy for Mayo in the Sustainable Environment category and Through the Ages in the Age Friendly Initiative section. We would also like to extend our congratulations to all other County Councils who won their respective categories and look forward to 2021.”

Speaking at the online Event Chambers Ireland Chief Executive Ian Talbot said,

“Local Authorities are at the heart of local economies right across the island and make significant contributions to Irish society and the communities they serve. The value of this contribution has never been felt as strongly than over the past year, as towns, villages, cities and regions cope with the impact of COVID-19 on lives and livelihoods.  

As ever, it is an honour to host the Excellence in Local Government Awards. Our aim is to shine a spotlight on the valuable work of local authorities and profile the excellent projects and initiatives undertaken by teams in local government right around the country.

Congratulations to all those shortlisted, specifically each person who worked tirelessly on these excellent projects. Congratulations to all this year’s winners, each of whom set an example of what excellence in local government should look like.

Finally, congratulations to the 2020 Local Authority of the Year, Mayo County Council. We commend their commitment to excellence and the commitment they have shown across their work to ensure the sustainable development of the localities they represent, raising their county’s profile nationally.”

Minister of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien T.D. commented about the Awards,

“Local Authorities have achieved the highest standards of performance, despite this year of great uncertainty. These standards are evident in all of the applications that were both entered and featured as the category prize winners in these awards.

Having local government structures working to such a high level has helped to maintain an important sense of community in these difficult times and an inclusive, caring society for all.

I thank Chambers Ireland for providing this platform to showcase the highly skilled, innovative and committed people who make up our local authorities, and I express my gratitude to the local authorities themselves for the vital contribution they make in communities across the country.”

There were sixteen awards presented plus the overall award for Local Authority of the Year. Individual awards were sponsored by: European Recycling Platform (ERP), TEKenable, Healthy Ireland, LGiU Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and EirGrid.

Specially commissioned crystal awards designed by Waterford Crystal will be presented to the winners when restrictions allow.–