The Association of Irish Local Government was delighted to host its 2022 Annual Conference in Buncrana, Co. Donegal last week (23rd and 24th March). AILG President Cllr. Nicholas Crossan, who was responsible for the prestigious conference said:
“It was wonderful to see colleagues and councillors in person again. The Annual Conference is hugely important in enabling elected members to learn not only from the insights and contributions of guest speakers and experts but from their peers also. It has been an excellent event for the association and a wonderful opportunity to showcase Buncrana and indeed the whole of Inishowen.”
The two-day Conference brought together leading local and national experts from the local government sector to discuss various themes which included “Town Centre First – Local Authorities Championing the Local Economic Recovery Post Covid-19”.
The AILG was delighted to welcome guest speaker Peter Burke TD, Minister for Local Government who opened proceedings on Wednesday afternoon. During his speech, Minister Peter Burke said government wanted to ensure that all development was now plan led, adding that the government now have “the biggest capital plan ever on record in the history of the state, so it is important councillors prioritise where that investment should go.”
Geographer, Analyst and Social Researcher Brendan O’ Keefe led an engaging panel discussion on “The 21st Century Councillor in Local Government” joint Research Project between AILG and Maynooth University which is currently underway and is set to generate interesting findings on emerging priorities for councillors, in terms of capacity-building, innovation and decision-making.
The event attracted more than 300 delegates from across the country who greatly benefitted from the insights and contributions of presenters and speakers including Kevin Comiskey from the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Head of Economic Development Ann Marie Conlon and Senior Planner Eunan Quinn from Donegal County Council.
“We had excellent speakers over the course of the two days which included presentations from our own Donegal County Council staff. It gave councillors a great insight into the challenges ahead, where they need to focus their energy and how both councillors and local authorities can continue to champion the Local Economic Recovery Post Covid-19” concluded President Cllr Crossan.
