News

 

MONAGHAN COUNTY COUNCIL DRAFT SCHEME FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STRATEGIC POLICY COMMITTEES

Following the local elections held in June 2024 it is now necessary for Monaghan County Council to re-establish the Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) which will continue to form an important part of the local government framework for the county.
The representational structure on each SPC is designed to bring together both elected members and people actively working with social, economic, cultural and environmental bodies to develop and review policies related to Council services.
At the July meeting the Council adopted a Draft Scheme for the establishment of five Strategic Policy Committees. The Draft Scheme, which has been developed in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government provides for the following committees:
(i) SPC for Housing
(ii) SPC for Transport
(iii) SPC for Economic Development and Enterprise
(iv) SPC for Environment and Climate Change
(v) SPC for Tourism, Rural & Community Development and Cultural Services

Membership of the SPCs will comprise
•local elected members (to be nominated by Monaghan County Council)
•Representatives from the Cultural/Community/Voluntary/Social Inclusion sectors to be nominated by Monaghan Public Participation Network
•The nominees from the other sectors – Agriculture/Trade Union/Environment/
Development/Construction/Business to be made by their respective national representative bodies.

The Draft SPC Scheme and Department Guidelines are now available for inspection at www.monaghan.ie or at the offices of Monaghan County Council, during normal office hours. Submissions on the draft scheme are now being sought and should be received by 5.00 p.m. on 16 August 2024.
Submissions can be forwarded by post or email to the A/Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Services, Monaghan County Council, County Offices, The Glen, Monaghan (email – info@monaghancoco.ie).

Carmel O’Hare
Director of Corporate Services
18 July 2024

 

Monaghan County Council has engaged consultancy firm S3 Solutions to progress a feasibility study and strategic assessment for a proposed swimming pool and leisure complex in Carrickmacross town.

As part of this study, the Council is launching two online surveys to assess people’s views on current swimming and leisure facilities and to examine the feasibility and demand for the provision of an additional swimming pool and leisure complex in the south of the county in Carrickmacross town.

The first online survey is to seek the views of members of the public and can be accessed by clicking here.

The second online survey is to seek the views of community and voluntary organisations and sports clubs and can be accessed by here.

We understand that online information cannot be accessed by everyone, therefore, in addition to online versions, hard copies of the survey will be available for completion at Carrickmacross – Castleblayney Municipal District, Civic Offices, Riverside Road, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, A81 RY22 (Monday – Friday 09:30 to 16:30).

 

This survey is anonymous and is being used only to inform the aforementioned feasibility study.

Please note that both surveys will open on Monday 15^th July 2024 and close on Friday 9^th August 2024.

Your input and feedback on the feasibility and demand for the provision of an additional swimming pool and leisure complex in the south of the county in Carrickmacross town is important to us, and we encourage you to participate in the surveys. Monaghan County Council and S3 Solutions would like to express our thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to complete these surveys, your input is greatly appreciated.

Your data is subject to the Privacy Statement of Monaghan County Council which can be viewed here

S3 Solutions Privacy policy can be viewed here

The Elected Members of Carrickmacross – Castleblayney Municipal District have unanimously agreed to waive the Application Fee of €50 and Street Space Rental Fee of €50 per square metre for Outdoor Dining Provision within Carrickmacross – Castleblayney Municipal District until 30^th September 2024.

Please note that applicants must complete and return an application to seek approval.

The  application form and guidance can be found here:  https://monaghan.ie/md-downloads/

Monaghan County Councils role in supporting quality living within County Monaghan is being highlighted, promoted and celebrated to mark Your Council Day 2024, taking place Friday 5th July.

This year, through the national event, Ireland’s 31 county and city councils will promote the very positive impact local authorities have on people’s quality of life.

An extensive array of local authority services are used by people on a day-to-day basis which support quality living. These include, but are not limited to, parks, leisure, sports, library, arts, heritage and community services. Councils also lead in protecting our living environments, including street cleaning, litter control, monitoring of waterways, urban and village renewal schemes, maintenance of our roads and footpaths.

Staff in local authorities are embedded within communities, enabling people on an individual and collective basis to enjoy life in communities where they live, work and visit.

Across social media, #YourCouncilDay will highlight the role of local authorities in promoting quality living and the work of committed and passionate staff in councils across the country to support such.

On Your Council Day, local authorities will be posting online using #YourCouncilDay / #DoLásaChomhairle to profile services and amenities and to introduce people to staff.

A Research Report has been launched titled:

All-Ireland Disaster Risk Reduction

Advancing a Focused Cross-Border Approach to Public Service Messaging in Emergency Management.

Public safety messaging on the island of Ireland requires proactive cross-border coordination among public authorities at strategic and operational levels, according to a new report by researchers at Maynooth University.

The report, Advancing a Focused Cross-Border Approach to Public Service Messaging in Emergency Management, was presented by MU’s International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD) and launched by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, in Clones Fire Station, Co Monaghan.

The research team included Dr Cormac Walsh, a senior research associate with the ICLRD along with ICLRD director Caroline Creamer of MU’s Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) and Innovation Value Institute (IVI), Dr Tadhg MacIntyre of the Department of Psychology, Dr Brendan Keegan of MU’s School of Business and Dr Adrienne McCann.

The study was an initiative of Monaghan County Council, a member of the Cross Border Emergency Management Group (CBEMG), collaborating directly with colleagues in Northern Ireland, including Fermanagh and Omagh District Councils. County Monaghan is in a unique geographical position as it shares the border with three counties and four district councils and has almost 100 of the 270 crossings with Northern Ireland.

The research, which draws from two cases studies in the towns of Clones, Co Monaghan and Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, found that public safety messaging is not only about providing information to the public. “It is fundamentally about community engagement and providing effective empathic leadership in times of crisis,” the report says.

It recommended that public safety messaging be universal, incorporating both analogue and digital means, and reach all sections of society, including the elderly, people with disabilities and people for whom English is not their first language.

According to Caroline Creamer, MU-based Director of the ICLRD: “Cross-border regions face specific challenges in emergency management – from infrastructural deficits, poor mobile phone coverage, and an over-reliance on commercial social media platforms to disseminate messaging to all sections of society.”

“While one would expect that the task of communicating key messages or warnings to the public in cases of emergency would have become easier with more advanced communication technologies, this has not been the case. Rather, public safety messaging must compete for attention in an increasingly crowded media landscape. Clear, timely and effective communication is essential to emergency management and disaster risk reduction – whether at the scale of a national emergency or a localised incident.”

The report says that international experience indicates that location-based SMS at a local level can complement a national cell broadcast system, while a dedicated telephone line should be established to provide local and regionally specific information on current incidents and risks in accessible language.

It also noted that effective emergency management communication is dependent on the ability of citizens to reliably contact the emergency services by telephone from their home or place of work. It said public investment is required to improve mobile phone network coverage in the cross-border region.

It recommends that local authorities should consider producing a joint preparedness brochure or booklet with key contact information for emergency response agencies, for distribution to community organisations. “The booklet should provide information on potential risks in the cross-border region, where relevant, referencing past events (e.g., flooding, wildfires).”

Where a severe weather alert is issued in either Northern Ireland or the Republic or both, the Cross Border Emergency Management Group should issue joint guidance specific to the cross-border region, providing clarity and reducing the potential for confusion or complacency, the report recommends. In the case of prolonged incidents, such as pandemic or prolonged flood incidents, procedures should be introduced to ensure public safety messaging in each jurisdiction is kept as consistent as possible, it says.

The report also suggests that multi-organisational demonstration and contingency scenario exercises, organised on a cross-border basis, can be an effective means of preparing for potential cross-border incidents and demonstrating to the public that the capacity for an effective cross-border response exists and can be called upon.

“Monaghan County Council, as a member of the CBEMG, welcomed the opportunity to lead this research study and collaborate directly with our colleagues in Northern Ireland. The study afforded an opportunity to engage directly with statutory agencies and community groups on both sides of the border via focus group sessions to obtain a qualitative overview of current practice,” MCC Chief Fire Officer Dermot Brannigan said.

Robert Burns, Monaghan County Council Chief Executive, welcomed the report: “A whole of society approach to communication is a critical task of responding agencies’ during emergency incidents, and more so now in an era of changing methods of communication. Embracing technological both change and progress, while also ensuring a trusted narrative will form the basis of all our future plans.”

you can download the report in PDF format here:

ICLRD Cross Border Public Safety Full Report (PDF)

It is intended that the sensory garden will allow visitors to enjoy a wide variety of sensory experiences. The garden will be designed to provide opportunities to stimulate the senses, both individually and in a combination of ways that users may not usually encounter. The proposal includes hard and soft landscaping works, surface paving, planting, boundary treatments and all other associated site development works and services.

It will form part of a package of proposals aimed at consolidating and enhancing the existing amenities at Cloughvalley Park.

Your Feedback

Your feedback on the Sensory Garden and Outdoor Educational Space at Cloughvalley is important to us, and we encourage you to participate in the consultation. Please refer to the Materials section on this page for additional images. This consultation will remain open for a period of three weeks, closing on 5pm on the 25^th  June 2024.

How to Make a Submission

Written observations or submissions must be received by 5pm on the 25^th  June 2024

Online here

OR

In writing marked “Cloughvalley Sensory Garden and Outdoor Educational Space” to:

Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District, Civic Offices, Riverside Road, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, A81 RY22

 

We understand that online information cannot be accessed by everyone, therefore, the Materials attached will also be available for inspection at Carrickmacross Civic Offices, at the above address, Monday – Friday 09:30 to 16:30, from the 4^th of June 2024.

Please note late submissions cannot be considered and will be returned. Submissions should be in ONE medium only, either online or hard copy.

 

https://monaghan.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sensory-garden-Carrick.jpg

Minimize the risks with advice from Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland & RNLI

The Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland & the RNLI have issued advice to help keep people safe at Ireland’s waterways over the
June bank holiday weekend.

Water based activities increase at this time of year, as do the number of incidents in which people get into difficulty. Minimize the risks with the following advice for a safe enjoyable bank holiday weekend.

How to enjoy water-based activities safely:
• Check the forecast for your local area, including tide times and sea conditions for coastal activities.
• Always carry a means of calling for help and keep it within reach.
• Water temperatures are still cold. Acclimatise by getting in slowly, swim within your depth and avoid staying in the
water for extended periods. Swimmers should be aware of rip currents and if caught in one should swim parallel to
shore and then back to land.
• Swim with others, never alone, in recognised, traditionally safe bathing areas. Lifeguarded waterways are listed at
https://watersafety.ie/lifeguards/.
• Supervise children at all times near water and never use inflatable toys in open water as currents and breezes can
cause persons to be swept out to sea, endangering those onboard or others trying to assist.
• If you find yourself struggling in the water unexpectedly remember Float to Live. The best way to float is to tilt your
head back with your ears submerged. Try to relax and breathe normally. You can gently move your hands to help you
stay afloat if you need to. Spread your arms and legs out to improve stability. Once your breathing is under control,
call for help or swim to safety.
• Stranding is a risk when low tides expose areas of the coastline for walkers to explore sandbanks. Watch out for
incoming tides, local signage, and always carry a fully charged mobile phone.
• Wear a Personal Flotation Device when paddleboarding, kayaking or boating, or when angling from shore.
• Avoid alcohol as it impairs judgment, balance and coordination – all essential for swimming and boating and avoiding
hazards in the water.

If you see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast or if you suspect that they are in trouble, dial 112 or use Marine
VHF channel 16 and ask for the Coast Guard