Limerick.ie – one of the world’s top 25 tourism websites - is among the projects shortlisted
Limerick.ie – which recently was selected as one of the world’s top 25 tourism websites is in the running for another award.
The recently re-launched and revamped digital platform has been shortlisted for a Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Award – this time for Outstanding Customer Service.
Limerick.ie site is central to building a new ‘Digital Limerick’ by providing citizens with all information about services the local authority requires but will also act as an official guide for those visiting the city and county and for people and organisations, including inward investors who want to do business in or with Limerick. They all can instantly discover more of what Limerick has to offer.
The ‘My Limerick’ section allows customers to log cases with the local authority and check on their progress, along with creating itineraries about what to see and do in Limerick.
Limerick.ie is one of five nominations received for the awards which showcase best practice in local government and recognise the skills, hard work, innovation and enthusiasm within local government that can often go unrecognised.
The other nominations are:
Regeneration Programme: Model of pathways to employment in the hospitality and catering industry. (Promoting Economic Development category). The massive regeneration project has been working in conjunction with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and the hospitality sector to establish the Hospitality Education and Training Centre in the Innovation Hub in Roxboro. It develops courses specifically tailored to industry needs, resulting in teaching students who are readily able to take up jobs in the sector.
Riverfest (Festival of the Year category). Riverfest, is the biggest attraction for the May Bank Holiday Weekend in Ireland. Since it began 13 years ago, the festival has grown into one of the biggest family-friendly events in Ireland, attracting tens of thousands of visitors every year. Just recently the five day family festival claimed the ‘Best Live Event’ award for spectacular live events and the overall award for Best Event at the Event Industry Awards.
HAP Shared Services Centre (Joint Local Authority Initiative). Limerick City and County Council operates the Housing Assistance Payment Shared Services Centre (HAP SSC) on behalf of 31 Local Authorities and the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive. Overall a total 28,353 HAP tenancies have been setup since project commencement in 2014. The HAP SSC will handle around €230m in financial transactions in 2017, rising to over €600m in 2021, involving at that stage, 84,000 tenancies. Staff are located in The Granary Building
Limerick Smarter Travel Green Way (Enhancing the Urban Environment category). The flagship project for Limerick Smarter Travel – the Limerick City Centre to UL and Corbally shared walk and cycle way. The River Shannon has always been one of the jewels in Limerick’s crown and now it can be enjoyed by everyone. There have been extensive renovations carried out on the existing masonry arch bridges along the original route. One of the bridges was rebuilt with the original stone and reinforced to cater for the expected footfall, while two others have been re-pointed and widened is some cases. All improvements have been carried out with the needs of people with differing abilities in mind.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Stephen Keary congratulated all those involved: “Well done to all involved in the shortlisted programmes. It is heartening to see that the dedicated work being carried out by the staff of Limerick City and County Council is being recognised by these awards. All the work done by the local authority is for the betterment of the citizens of Limerick, and this is demonstrated by the projects that are shortlisted.”
Dr Pat Daly, Deputy Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for the five awards at the prestigious Chambers Ireland Excellence Awards. Great credit is due to all the teams involved for the hard work and dedication they have shown in providing the best for the people of Limerick, and further afield.”
“The range and scale of the shortlisted projects or programme, highlights the breadth of the work that Limerick City and County Council does.”
The 14th annual Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards are sponsored by Vodafone and held in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
The awards will be announced at a gala ceremony in Dublin in November.