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October 2023: Motorists and transport users across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are invited to take part in a survey to analyse evolving attitudes to electric vehicles and explore what further supports may be needed to help meet government targets to decarbonise transport systems.

The survey has been developed and published by South West College in support of the FASTER Project which is currently installing new rapid charging stations for electric vehicles across Northern Ireland, Western Scotland and the Republic of Ireland (Border Region). The initiative has received €6.4 million EU INTERREG VA funding to further increase awareness of the sustainable options available to motorists and road users.

Match funding has been provided by the Department for Infrastructure (NI), Transport Scotland and the Department for Transport (Ireland).

The survey will be the final of three studies completed on behalf of the FASTER Project and results will be analysed in line with previous year findings to provide recommendations for future regional policy development.

Donal Monaghan, Project officer, who manages the behavioural change programme for the FASTER Project at South West College said:

“We are witnessing record increases in the number of electric vehicles being registered across the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2023, but despite this show of motorist confidence there is still a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt about the use and impact of electric vehicles.

The FASTER Project along with regional project stakeholders is continuing to develop mechanisms to ease concerns and this survey will help analyse behavioural patterns and changing attitudes as the initiative draws to a close at the end of December.”

The survey is available now at https://www.fasterevcharge.com/survey2023 and the closing date for submissions is Sunday 5^th November 2023.

                       

 

On Tuesday, October 10th, 2023, the Hillgrove Hotel in County Monaghan was abuzz with the voices of young people from across the county, who gathered for the Monaghan Comhairle na nÓg Annual General Meeting (AGM). The event saw the participation of up to 120 enthusiastic and engaged young individuals, coming together to discuss and address the critical issues affecting the youth of County Monaghan.

The AGM provided a unique platform for the members of Comhairle na nÓg to showcase their year-long efforts and engage in meaningful consultations on the most pressing concerns facing young people today. One highlight of this year’s AGM was the launch of their new booklet, ‘Pick me up when you are feeling down,’ a mental health booklet designed by and for the youth of County Monaghan.

Over the past year, Monaghan Comhairle na nÓg has passionately worked on the vital topic of Mental Health. This topic was democratically selected by the youth at their 2022 AGM, and the dedicated team set out to create a resource to support their peers. The chose to have their AGM on the 10^th October as this coincided with World Mental Health Day and it was the perfect opportunity to launch their booklet.

                       

Comhairle members collaborated throughout the year with key agencies such as the HSE’s Connecting for Life and Mental Health Services, Mental Health Ireland (Cavan & Monaghan) and the Monaghan Children & Young People’s Services Committee to compile the booklet. It prioritises self-care and wellbeing, offering mental health advice conceived by young people, for young people. Its purpose is to be a reliable companion during difficult times, offering tips to bolster mental health. Furthermore, it includes a comprehensive list of relevant services that young individuals can turn to when grappling with anxiety, stress, or low mood. The booklet was funded by Healthy Monaghan. Eve Harrison, Monaghan Comhairle na nÓg Development Officer said that ‘ It was a wonderful experience seeing our booklet blossom from an idea into a tangible booklet we could touch and disperse to young people around the county’.

Following extensive consultations with attendees at this year’s AGM, the young minds of Monaghan have decided that ‘Lack of Infrastructure’ will be the key issue to address in 2024, reflecting their commitment to making a positive impact on their community.

If you would like more information about Monaghan Comhairle na nÓg or wish to receive a copy of the ‘Pick me up when you are feeling down’ booklet, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Eve at eve@ywicm.ie.

Monaghan Comhairle na nÓg continues to be a beacon of hope and empowerment for the youth of County Monaghan, demonstrating their dedication to raising awareness about critical issues and creating valuable resources to support one another.

Developing a Vision for Clones Marina

In collaboration between Fáilte Ireland, Monaghan County Council and Waterways Ireland, a draft Vision Document has been prepared to present a collective vision for the future of Clones Marina, in the heart of County Monaghan.

This draft Vision for Clones Marina will benefit from further input from local residents, community groups, businesses and wider organisations. As such, there will be a public consultation on this Vision – starting from Friday 13^th October and running until Thursday 26^th October. This consultation will be held online, with a digital questionnaire accessible for public engagement at the link below:

Clones Marina Vision – Public Consultation (until Thursday 26^th October 2023)

Within this consultation period, representatives from the team will be available for public engagement at the Creighton Hotel in the centre of Clones Town on Friday 20^th October from 12pm until 6:30pm, and will be happy to discuss this draft Vision with any attendees. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this exciting opportunity for Clones and the wider region.

 

 

Congratulations to Carmel O’Hare, Director of Corporate Services and Innovation, Monaghan County Council on winning Digital Leader of the Year award in the Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards on the 5^th of October 2023.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Carmel on winning the Digital Leader of the Year award. Carmel is a dedicated public servant who is committed to delivering better public services through innovation, collaboration and digital transformation,” said Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council, Cllr David Maxwell.

The Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards is a chance to shine the spotlight on cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches to digital transformation that have made a real impact, improved service delivery, and enhanced citizen experiences. These awards recognise outstanding achievements in the public sector across multiple domains.

The Awards were open to all public sector organisations, individuals, and teams across Ireland to participate in. Monaghan County Council in partnership with several other Local Authorities and Ascendas Business Solutions (Ascendas) led the roll-out of a one-stop shop solution called ‘MyCoCo’.

Robert Burns, Chief Executive of Monaghan County Council, commented, “we are very proud of Carmel’s achievement and this award also recognises the commitment of the Council, and progress that is being made, to provide enhanced public services to the people of Monaghan through ongoing innovation and digital transformation.”

MyCoCo is a build to share digital solution that enables Local Authorities to provide online services to the public. ‘MyCoCo’ allows citizens and businesses to request a service, make a payment and track its progress without the need of using paper-based forms. ‘MyCoCo’ has been recognised by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP and Reform as a building block of reform in Better Public Services – A transformation strategy to deliver for the public and build trust and is a key enabler for Local Authorities to deliver on the Connecting Government 2030 ambitions. ‘MyCoCo’ has been adopted by various local authorities across Ireland.

#PublicSectorDTAwards23

 

Carrickmacross has been chosen by Monaghan County Council as the first town in the county to develop a plan through a local Town Team.  The Plan is been developed in accordance with the guidance set out in the “Town Centre First – A Policy Approach for Irish Towns”, published by the Department of Rural and Community Development, the aim is to create town centres that function as viable, vibrant, and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit, while also functioning as the service, social, cultural and recreational hub for the local community.

Click here to fill in the Survey and ready about the project:

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Monaghan County Council is seeking expressions of interest from Landlords with VACANT 1 and 2 bedroom properties for let for inclusion in the Rental Accommodation Scheme:

Houses to be considered must be close to services, ideally within one mile (1.6km) from shops, school etc.

If you have any such houses available for renting, or that may become available shortly, please write in with the details, including size of house, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, ownership, date available, location map & BER (if available) and monthly rent price.

Submissions should be marked, sealed and addressed as follows:-

“Expression of Interest in 1 and 2 Bed Properties – Private Rented Accommodation”

RAS/Social Housing Section,

Housing Department,

Monaghan County Council,

The Glen,

Monaghan

28^th September 2023

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage invites applications from suitably qualified individuals to become a Member of the OAB.  It is important to note that, in accordance with the conditions set out in the Code of Conduct for Local Government Employee, application can only be accepted from those who are not serving or former public servants. Persons expressing an interest in this appointment must be able to demonstrate that they meet the following essential criteria:

• Have extensive experience in senior leadership levels with a high degree of integrity, particularly in the area of conflict of interest issues,

• A proven track record of independent, objective and effective judgement and decision making, including in roles such as Appeals Boards, Arbitration Boards etc.;

• Have a strong commitment to the Public Service and its values, in particular a clear understanding of the importance of upholding the public interest,

• Good communication and interpersonal skills.

Further information below:

Outside Appointments Board – Recruitment Booklet

Please forward a succinct CV having regard to the requirements described at number 4 above (no more than 2 pages).

Please also enclose a cover letter (no more than 1 page) outlining why you fulfil all the requirements described at number 4 above, and the specific expertise you would bring to the role as a Member and Chairperson of the OAB.

Please forward your CV and Cover Letter to kevin.forde@housing.gov.ie with the Heading “Outside Appointments Board Membership”, no later than 3pm on 25 October 2023.

Closing Date: 15:00 on Tuesday 25th of October 2023

If you have any queries regarding this, please e-mail kevin.forde@housing.gov.ie

Notice is hereby given that the Municipal District of Monaghan proposes to name the corner at the Northern end of Emyvale village as “Steele’s Corner”.

The Council invites submissions from members of the public in respect of this proposed naming of the corner. Submissions in writing can be forwarded to the Monaghan Municipal District, Council Offices, The Glen, Monaghan or emailed to monaghan@monaghancoco.ie by Friday 6^th October.

 

Donal McElwain

Municipal District Co-ordinator

21^st September 2023

14^th September 2023: Louth County Council and East Border Region Ltd have announced the appointment of Weev to install and operate 25 rapid electric vehicle chargers at locations across the border region in the Republic of Ireland. The award, which followed a competitive tender process will see motorists in counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Monaghan, Cavan, Louth and Meath being able to avail of these new chargers later this year.

These new chargers will be installed as part of the FASTER Project which has received €6.4 million EU funding under the INTERREG VA programme. The project is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) to support the transition to electric vehicles and sustainable transport use across Western Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Border Region). Match funding for the project has been provided by the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) and the Department for Transport (Republic of Ireland) and Transport Scotland.

Initial groundworks are already in progress and the chargers are expected to be operational in the coming months in what will be a welcome boost to the public charging network in the border region.

Discussing the appointment of Weev to deliver this much needed infrastructure, Joan Martin, Chief Executive Officer, Louth County Council said;

“Today marks the beginning of the FASTER Project at 14 locations across 7 counties. It is the result of much cross border cooperation over recent years between ourselves and our colleagues from East Border Region and Ulster University in Northern Ireland and HITRANS in Scotland.

When completed the FASTER Project shall have delivered 25 high quality Rapid car charge points from Navan in County Meath to Buncrana in County Donegal. It will bring a much needed upgrade to the car charging infrastructure along the border counties in the Republic of Ireland. With our construction partners WEEV and M&M Construction this promises to be just the beginning of new Rapid EV Car Charging Infrastructure being installed across the island. I am delighted that the funding from INTERREG has been secured for this project and look forward to it coming to fruition in the near future.”

Founded in 2022, Belfast-based Weev was set up in response to the critical need for improved electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Ireland.

 

Philip Rainey, Chief Executive Officer, Weev added;

“Our vision as a company is to supercharge EV infrastructure where it is most needed and this project allows us to do just that.

There is not doubt that EV drivers in the border counties are among the most under-served anywhere in the country. By partnering with Louth County Council and East Border Region Ltd, we can put the region back in the fast lane towards greater sustainability and accelerate the adoption of EVs in the area.

We look forward to rolling out the charging hubs in the coming months and welcome new locations, drivers and businesses to our rapidly expanding network.”

East Border Region Ltd, is the lead partner on the FASTER Project and Councillor Terry Andrews Chair, who is also a member of Meath County Council welcomed the appointment of WEEV saying;

“EBR is delighted to lead this innovative and genuinely cross border project which will see essential EV infrastructure installed in Ireland, the border counties and Scotland.  Electric vehicles are an essential component of the strategy to reduce emissions and help improve local air quality.

The FASTER project will undoubtedly contribute to this aim. We look forward to the rollout of the 25 rapid charge points and to working with our colleagues across the border Counties and Weev in the implementation phase of the project”.

Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), said: “We are delighted that 25 new rapid electric vehicle chargers will be installed across the Border Counties. The rapid chargers are a step-up in enhancing accessibility to EV charging; with drivers spending less time charging, this will encourage more motorists to transition to electric vehicles. Currently the ownership of EVs is limited to people who have driveways. The new charging points will give access to drivers everywhere, regardless of whether they have a driveway or not, therefore opening access to everyone.”

 

Further information about the FASTER Project can be found online now at www.fasterevcharge.com