THE Limerick City and County Council improved its performance across a range of indicators during 2020, despite Covid-19 challenges and while providing additional innovations and services during the pandemic. The NOAC Local Authority Performance Indicator Report 2020 shows Limerick City and County Council made advances last year, in particular in the areas of business supports, online motor tax collection and reports of environmental pollution.
COVID-19 placed a considerable burden on the council, with a reduction in revenues and strained resources. However, essential services were delivered throughout the pandemic while Limerick City and County Council played a vital role in the national response to COVID-19.
Limerick City and County Council was one of the first local authorities to establish the Community Call service and provided support to more than 3,000 people since March 2020. Limerick was the operational template for the rest of the country.
The local authority also provided a range of new supports and grants to businesses, offered resilience and wellbeing supports to the community, and worked to facilitate changes to the public realm in the interests of public health and safety.
Alongside this, Limerick City and County Council continued to deliver essential services throughout Covid, as the Performance Indicators Report 2020 shows.
· 109 units added to the social housing stock in 2020 bringing total to 5,475 with 3.7% vacant
· 83.72% of motor tax transactions were conducted online in 2020, a significant increase from 2019 (72.01%)
· Almost half of all public lighting is now LED lights
· 59% reduction in number of pollution cases that were subject to a complaint in 2020 compared to 2019
· The Local Enterprise Office approved 240.12 trading online vouchers per 100,000 population to support Limerick businesses to increase their online offering. The LEO also provided mentoring to 141.61 businesses per 100,000 population.
· In 2020, almost €15m was invested in improving 208kms of Limerick’s roads
· Drop in commercial rate collection to 81% in 2020 from 88% in 2019.
· 96% of rents and annuities paid
Commenting on the report, Sean Coughlan Deputy Chief Executive paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of (Council) employees, saying: “Limerick City and County Council continued to provide a wide range of services throughout 2020, despite the challenge and uncertainty of Covid-19 and the constraints of public health restrictions. At the same time, we played a vital role in the national response to the pandemic, supporting communities, businesses and local economies.”
“We are continually seeking to improve services and increase efficiency and did manage to make progress in a range of areas last year. Now that we are in a more certain situation with regard to Covid, we will build on our progress, continue to innovate and deliver quality public services.”
