County Manager's Foreword
This was particularly noticeable in the area of physical planning where application numbers were almost at an all time high and enquiries indicated a renewed confidence in Sligo and the North-West.
- Hubert Kearns, County Manager
Following on from the designation of Sligo as a ‘Gateway’ or major growth centre by Government in 2002 under the National Spatial Strategy, preparatory work was completed on the ‘Sligo and Environs Development Plan’. This is the medium to long-term planning and land-use framework within which Sligo will develop and expand in the years ahead and its objective is to create a modern and compact city with a critical mass of population, infrastructure, services and employment that will drive and sustain the regional economy into the future. As the plan spans the area of Sligo County Council and Borough Council, it was prepared as a joint venture by the two Councils and was formally adopted by both in December.
The improvement of customer service continues to be a major objective for the Council and in 2003 a number of service improvement initiatives continued or were concluded. The most important was in September the opening for business of the ‘One Stop Shop’ in Tubbercurry. This facility will provide a modern branch library, a wide range of Council services and facilities for other Government agencies all under one roof and should greatly improve the responsiveness and quality of our services in South Sligo.
Modernisation and the achievement of value for money in service delivery are important and ongoing issues for the Council. During the year discussions opened with staff and unions on a major programme of modernisation under the umbrella of the Government’s agreements with the Social Partners - ‘Sustaining Progress’ and ‘Benchmarking’. These discussions, which were ongoing at year’s end, offer the scope for the Council to achieve the sort of flexibility and adaptability that will be necessary to meet the challenges of service delivery in tomorrow’s world.
My contract as County Manager expired in November 2003. During the year, an open competition to fill the post was conducted on behalf of the Council by the Local Appointments Commission. I presented myself as a candidate and I was successful in being reappointed by the Council for a further term of seven years. With the improvement in economic conditions over recent years, the opportunities and challenges available to the Manager and the Council are much greater than when I was first appointed in 1996. I am confident that with an excellent team of staff, good relations with communities and other agencies and a supportive Council, a great deal can be achieved on behalf of our customers, the people of Sligo, in the coming years.
Hubert Kearns
County Manager
