Kildare County Council has been shortlisted for an Economic Development & Climate action Award in the Excellence in Local Government Awards 2019

Kildare County Council has been shortlisted for two awards in this years Excellence in Local Government Awards 2019.

The Local Government awards showcase ingenuity and ambition across over 16 categories and feature a total of 22 local authorities.

Kildare County Council has been shortlisted for the Promoting Economic Development category for it’s development of the MERITS Building - the Mid-East Region Innovation Think Space. Partnering with Maynooth University and Enterprise Ireland this 5 million euro development will attract 120 tech entrepreneurs from all over the Mideast in an impressive innovative co working space.

“The building will house both start-ups and expanding businesses as well as providing research and training space for existing companies who wish to access support” states Peter Carey Chief executive officer of Kildare County Council.

The second shortlisting is in the Local Authority Innovation category for it’s project Climate Action, Regional Offices. As the host of the Eastern & Midlands Climate Action Regional Office, Kildare County Council is the lead for coordinating the work of 17 Local Authorities in preparing their climate change adaptation strategies. The strategies focus on the local authorities’ response to climate change, building climate resilience in our communities and identifying opportunities for businesses in responding to impacts of climate change.

The Excellence in Local Government Awards are held annually in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Congratulating the Local Authorities shortlisted, minister Eoghan Murphy described the awards as “an important platform for bringing to the fore the outstanding and meaningful work that is so crucial to the development of our local communities”.

The Excellence in Local Government Awards winners will be announced at the 16th annual ceremony on 28 November at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Northwood, Santry. Awards will be presented for excellence in 16 different categories and one local authority will be awarded the overall award and named local authority of the year 2019.

Sketch of the new MERITS Building – the development will attract 120 tech entrepreneurs from all over the Mideast in an impressive innovative co working space