In late 2020, Mayo County Council was announced by Chambers Ireland as the Local Authority of the Year.  The accolade which was awarded under the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards also confirmed Mayo County Council winners in three further categories 

Virtual Mayo Day 2020 – Festival of the Year category

Making Positive Choices – Health & Wellbeing category

Register App – WIRE – Local Authority Innovation category

Because of restrictions in place at the time due to Covid-19 and the subsequent restrictions that followed, the opportunity to receive the very welcome awards took some time.

Earlier this week, Cathaoirleach, Cllr Richard Finn, Chief Executive, Peter Duggan and the Senior Management Team of Mayo County Council were delighted to accept the awards in a presentation made by representatives from Chambers Ireland through their affiliated offices in Mayo. Geraldine Horkan of Westport Chamber, Ann Cunnane of Ballyhaunis Chamber and Mags Downey of Ballina Chamber presented the four awards.

Accepting the awards Cllr. Richard Finn, Cathaoirleach for Mayo County Council says “I am honoured as Cathaoirleach to accept these awards. Projects such as Virtual Mayo Day, Making Positive Changes and Weather Impact Register are great examples of the innovative work that can be done when groups of people come together with pride in their county at the heart of their work. The exemplary work of the Staff and the Elected members of this Council has resulted in the award of Local Authority of the year and I accept this prestigious award on their behalf. Such awards are not easily won and we in Mayo County Council are proud that the services we provided and the Councils high standards do not go unrecognised. A Council of the year award is the icing on the cake ”.

Interim Chief Executive, Peter Duggan, outlined, “On behalf of the Management and Staff of Mayo County Council, I am very proud to accept these four awards including the award for Local Authority of the Year. The awards are all about excellence in local government, which is what we strive to achieve as a Local Authority.  Acceptance of these awards are testament to all who have put in hard work, showed great commitment and resilience throughout what was an unprecedented year”.

Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, “Mayo County Council’s success at the 2020 Excellence in Local Government Awards exemplifies the ambition and talent that lies within the council. Demonstrating an ability to be both responsive and innovative, they have clearly benefitted Mayo communities through their work. We expect this ambition to continue and look forward to seeing what more is achieved in these important years ahead”.

An Overview of the Award winners

Local Authority Innovation – Weather Impact Register App is a simple tool for local authorities (and other state agencies) to record and collate the actual impacts and some of the associated costs of climate change in their areas. The GIS based dataset together with the dashboard and filters developed alongside the App will provide a spatial distribution.

Health and Wellbeing – Making Positive Choices is a collaborative project which addresses road safety issues on the Mayo Islands. Its focus was on emphasising to young people the importance of making positive choices and providing them with the necessary tools and knowledge to prevent collisions and road traffic incidents in future.

Festival of the Year – Virtual Mayo Day 2020

In this extraordinary year of 2020, the people of Mayo got together again (virtually) with pride and with hope for Mayo Day, 2^nd May. The virtual Mayo Day Live Show was a mix of chat, interviews, music, and messages of hope and solidarity for a special Mayo Day from well-known people from Mayo and those who love our county. The show concluded with the launch of a poignant and beautiful short film for Mayo Day called #OceansApart, a film depicting how emigration and Covid-19 restrictions have impacted on Mayo families and friendships.