Corporate Plan
Preparation of Corporate Plan 2020-2024
Sligo County Council is preparing a Corporate Plan for the period 2020 to 2024. The Plan is a strategic framework for the Authority over a five year period, linking policy, organisational activity, governance and performance management and actions.
In accordance with Section 134 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, the Plan is being prepared following consultation process and review by the Council's Corporate Policy Group and is subject to approval by the elected members.
Submissions are now being sought from interested individuals or groups on their views on the strategic direction of Sligo County Council over the period of the new Plan. Submissions should be returned to: The Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Services Section, Sligo County Council, County Hall, Sligo or by email to: corporateplan@sligococo.ie not later than 5pm on Friday 14th August 2020.
Further information available by contacting Corporate Services Section Sligo County Council 071 911 1016.
Bartley Gavin
A/Director of Services
Previous Corporate Plan
Strategies and Plans of Sligo County Council
Climate Adaptation Strategy
On Monday 2nd of September Sligo County Council unanimously decided to adopt the draft Climate Adaptation Strategy 2019-2024.
The Strategy contains over 40 individual actions, each of which will be implemented over the course of the next five years, and which will assist the Local Authority in adapting to the challenges posed by Climate Change. The actions relate to all of the sections within the Local Authority, but there are also actions which aim to assist communities and businesses here in Sligo.
The adoption of the CAS is also a requirement under the National Adaptation Framework, which requires all Local Authorities to have a Climate Adaptation Strategy in place by the end of September 2019.It also seeks to incorporate and complement some of the actions contained within the Climate Action Plan which was recently announced by Minister Richard Bruton.
We intend to work closely with the OPW regarding energy use by the Local Authority, and with the SEAI in relation to how we can assist the people of Sligo to reduce their energy usage. One of the ways in which this will be achieved will be through the formation of Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) throughout the County which will be able to identify projects in homes, businesses and community facilities and avail of the significant supports available for such endeavours.
Disability Inclusion and Access Strategy 2019 – 2022
The National Disability Inclusion Strategy (2017-2021) was introduced to promote greater inclusion by people with disabilities in Irish society. One of the key objectives of the strategy is to give legal effect to the principle that mainstream public services should serve people with disabilities alongside other citizens, as set out in the Disability Act 2005.
In a local context, in the development of a new Disability Strategy, the Council through the auspices of its Disability Consultative Committee has set the review and updating of the Sligo County Council Disability Implementation Plan 2008 – 2015 as a priority, to form the basis of positive actions in the coming years.
There has been a major shift in the understanding of disability and recognition of rights of persons with disabilities. International understandings have moved away from a strictly medical definition, where ‘disability’ is seen to be ‘caused’ by functional deficits (such as physical injury or intellectual disability), to one that recognises the disabling barriers built into the environment and social structures as disabled people go about their daily lives.
Sligo County Council Disability Inclusion and Access Strategy 2019 – 2022 is one of the most important documents published by the Council over its five year term.
Sligo Local Economic & Community Plan 2016-2021
The Sligo Local Economic & Community Plan (LECP) 2016 – 2021 outlines a five-year Strategy for Economic and Community Development in Sligo. The LECP exists to “collectively promote and develop Sligo as the economic driver of the North West and as a quality location for sustainable investment, tourism entrepreneurship and employment”. The economic vision for the county is as follows: “County Sligo will be known locally, nationally and internationally for its rich talent, innovative education system, robust infrastructure, supportive business environment, entrepreneurial culture and high quality of life”.
A key goal of the LECP is to “provide the strategic leadership to ensure that all organisations working to improve employment and economic activity in Sligo are working collaboratively and in the collective interest of the county.” A major challenge to the success of the LECP, as is noted in the plan, is a lack of co-ordination and strategic planning in relation to the collective promotion of Sligo, where a lot of complex projects and initiatives are happening at the same time.
The establishment of the Sligo Economic Forum (SEF) is one of the key actions set out in the LECP. The SEF exists to provide direction, reduce duplication and enhance collaboration and communication with a wide-range of stakeholders to better communicate Sligo’s offering, improving its profile. Chaired by Aaron Forde, former CEO of Aurivo globally focused agri business, its members include: Sligo County Council, Enterprise Ireland, IT Sligo, St Angela’s College, IDA, Local Enterprise Office, North Western Regional Assembly, Fáilte Ireland, Sligo Business Improvement District and representatives of Sligo’s local business sector. Coordination and collective promotion across this wide range of stakeholders, who each have different individual goals, are key to ensuring the objectives of the project are achieved.
Strategic Policy Committees Scheme 2019-2024
The statutory basis for establishment of Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) is set out in Section 48 of the Local Government Act 2001 as amended by Section 41 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014.
SPCs have a major role in assisting and advising the Council in relation to functions of a strategic statutory nature. They also have functions in other areas including the establishment of priorities for particular services. The SPC system is intended to give councillors and relevant sectoral interests an opportunity for full involvement in the policy-making process from the early stages, when policy options are more fluid. The SPCs provide elected members with external views as they discharge their strategic role in the development of the local authority, including their policy development and oversight roles within the local authority.
Sligo County Council has 4 Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs)
- SPC 1 - Housing and Corporate
- SPC 2 - Environment and Infrastructure
- SPC 3 - Planning, Community and Economic Development, Arts and Culture
- SPC 4 - Climate Change
Diaspora vision for Sligo
Sligo to be a compelling destination where our Diaspora return or engage to live, visit or invest
It is widely recognised that Diaspora engagement is a critical component in local economic, social and community development in Ireland as outlined in “Global Irish – Irelands Diaspora’s Policy”. As well as reaching out to the Diaspora on a national level, there is potential for local communities and counties in Ireland to reach out to their own Diaspora and build new relationships, to benefit local and regional development.
At local level it is an action in the Sligo Local Economic Community Plan 2016-2021 to develop ways of linking with our Diaspora to build mutually beneficial linkages through networks and involvement of other agencies
The strategic outcomes identified in the Diaspora Strategy for County Sligo 2019-2024 are:
- The development and delivery of a Sligo narrative that helps build the Sligo brand and delivers a strong sense of belonging for Sligo people everywhere
- The building of long-term, two-way relationships with the Diaspora so that they can be provided with support from Sligo and they in turn can promote Sligo abroad
- Greater engagement with the Diaspora so that they increasingly visit, invest in and/or return to Sligo
Our ongoing engagement with our diaspora will be critical in achieving the social, economic and community development potential of the county.
The Strategy represents our commitment to ensure we create meaningful channels of communication that will serve to support our economy, increase our social capacity, and nurture the cultural roots of Sligo to which over 960,000 people across the world claim ownership.
Sligo City Centre Public Realm Plan
In February 2018, international design consultancy Building Design Partnership (BDP) were commissioned by Sligo County Council to prepare a public realm plan for Sligo. A Public Realm Plan is a planning document with a long-range vision for the built environment that takes into account the varied needs of its users. Following a period of public consultation, the Sligo City Centre Public Realm Plan was completed in September 2018. This single, coherent concept for the city centre’s public realm seeks to achieve the ultimate goal of transforming Sligo into the leading city in the north-west region through the design of an attractive and vibrant city centre in which people want to live, work, socialise and shop.
The Plan identified a number of key locations within the urban core where there are significant opportunities to create high quality urban spaces including
The Plan identified a number of key locations within the urban core where there are significant opportunities to create high quality urban spaces including O’Connell Street, Stephen Street Cultural Plaza, Rockwood Parade and Quay Street carpark. Sligo County Council has successfully applied under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund for funding for a number of these projects which will be implemented in the coming years.
County Sligo Development Plan
The Development Plan for the County of Sligo 2017–2023 was made by the members of Sligo County Council at their meeting on 31st July 2017.
The Sligo County Development Plan 2017–2023 has been effective since 28 August 2017. It sets out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of County Sligo, in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).
As a result of the implementation of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 and consequent abolition of Sligo Borough Council, Sligo County Council has extended its jurisdiction over the Sligo and Environs area, for which two development plans were previously prepared jointly by the two planning authorities (in 2004 and in 2010). The Local Government Reform Act 2014 also established a Municipal District system of local administration.
This Plan builds on the review of the Sligo CDP 2011-2017, taking into account recent changes as well as national, regional and local policy developments. The CDP presents the Council’s outlook for the future development of County Sligo and its Gateway City for the period up to 2023, within a long-term perspective.
Extract Project Ireland 2040 – National Planning Framework
Northern and Western Region
The Northern and Western region justifies a particular focus in this Framework. This is due to a historically lower level of urbanisation compared to other regions, proximity to the border and risks posed by Brexit. The spatial contrast between the five existing cities in Ireland, all south of a line from Dublin to Galway and cities in Northern Ireland such as Belfast and Derry emphasises this underdevelopment and the strategic imperative of building up the strength of this part of the country.
Such an approach would recognise and build on the facts that the Region contains both the fastest growing city in Ireland over the past 50 years (Galway), as well as places that have far reaching positive effects on their surrounding areas, well beyond what might be suggested by their scale in population terms. Significant towns such as Sligo function in their areas in a similar manner, but at a different scale to the bigger cities and their regions. Letterkenny, with Derry City and Strabane in Northern Ireland also functions as a cross-border city region.
These city and city-region functions will be supported and enhanced over the lifetime of this Framework through relevant policies and investment but with a strong emphasis on securing a compact-growth development approach. Through such policies, by 2040, this will be a region of more than 1 million people, 180,000 more than today, with the biggest challenge it faces being the identification and implementation of actions that will build up its urban structure, diversify and strengthen its rural areas as they transition towards a more broadly based mix of economic activities sufficient to underpin long term self-sustaining local communities. This will be complemented by improved accessibility
Customer Charter
Sligo Culture and Creativity Strategy 2018–2022
Cosmopolitan yet singular, ancient yet forward-thinking, Sligo enjoys its much-deserved status as the cultural capital of the northwest of Ireland. The county’s rich literary and cultural heritage, which stretches back to ancient times, is an energising force for the citizens of Sligo, as well as a wonderful showcase for visitors from around the globe.
The famous medieval manuscripts the Book of Ballymote, the Great Book of Lecan, and the Yellow Book of Lecan were written in Sligo, and so central to the identity of the county is its literary legacy that the county crest even features an open book with Celtic cross and red rose. Folk heroine Queen Maeve is reputed to be entombed here, and among Sligo’s famous creatives past and present are poet and Nobel laureate William Butler Yeats, musical luminaries James Morrison, Westlife and The Conway Sisters, and artist Jack Butler Yeats.
Since obtaining the title of European Capital of Volunteering in 2017, Sligo’s contributions to the Creative Ireland programme, centred around the themes of identity, culture and citizenship, continue to highlight an exemplary approach to creative access for all its citizens, and help to secure this rich heritage for generations to come.
Traveller Accommodation Programme 2019 - 2024
The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act, 1998 requires Sligo County Council to prepare and adopt a 5-year Traveller Accommodation Programme, to meet the existing and projected accommodation needs of members of the Traveller Community within its administrative area.
In accordance with Section 10 of the 1998 Act, the Minister has directed that the next Traveller Accommodation Programme will be for a period from the 1st of July 2019 to the 30th of June 2024.
This Programme sets out the actions that Sligo County Council will implement to meet the current and future accommodation needs of Traveller families within the County over the 5 Year period.
Sligo East City, Cranmore and Environs
Regeneration Masterplan
The Regeneration Masterplan for Sligo East City, Cranmore and Environs seeks to build on the success of the Regeneration Project to date. The project was first initiated in 2004. Significant resources and funds have been invested in the area since then, and some major achievements have been realised. There are distinct signs of change and a real sense that the regenerative process is underway.
An extensive consultation process has been undertaken to develop the Regeneration Masterplan, identifying specific themes, projects and initiatives to address the area’s needs. Collaboratively the social, economic and physical strategies can achieve a transformative impact for the East City area. The Regeneration Masterplan provides an action plan for change with benefits for both the local and the wider community.
Local Community Development Committee Annual Report
LCDCs have responsibility for the planning and oversight of a substantial amount of local development spends on behalf of the State or by other local development agencies and structures and have brought a new collaborative approach which is reflected in the framework set out in the Local Economic Community Planning process.