The Corporate Affairs Department is responsible for the provision and management of a very wide range of services, which include County Council Meetings, Building Administration, Corporate Planning, Organisation Development, Franchise, Policy Research.

Register of Electors:

A Register of Electors is produced annually. The Register is a list of all persons over 18 years of age resident in the County who are entitled to vote in Elections to the Dail, European Assembly, Presidential, Local Elections and Referenda.

The Draft Register is printed on the 1st November of every year and distributed to Post Offices, Libraries, and Garda Stations thus providing people with the opportunity to check if they were on the Draft Register. A website is also available for this purpose www.checktheregister.ie

The Live Register is subsequently published on 1st February and comes into force on the 15th February.

Supplement to the Register: A person who is qualified to be registered but, for any reason, is not included on the published register, may apply to be included on a supplement to the register before the fourteenth day before polling day (Sundays, Public Holidays and Good Friday are excluded). Following the Electoral Amendment Act, 2001 applications to be included on the supplement to the Register of Electors must now be witnessed by a member of the Gárda Siochana.

Under the provisions of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2001, a person who is on a Register of Electors and moves residence from one constituency to another constituency or from one local electoral area to another local electoral area, can apply for entry onto the supplement at their new address, provided the person authorises the appropriate local authority to delete their name from their old address.

Ombudsman Complaints

Number of Council Meetings + Payments to Councillors

Number of Council Meetings, Committee Meetings Held from 1st January, 2009 to 31st December, 2009.

Payments to Councillors

Workplace Partnership in Kilkenny County and City Councils

The main focus of Workplace Partnership in 2009 was to act as the primary vehicle for information and consultation with staff regarding how the current financial crisis is affecting Kilkenny County Council, in particular its delivery of services and its affect on staff. During the year the County Manager met with the Partnership committee and the broader Handling Significant Change group on four occasions. There were also updates given by management at each of the partnership meetings held during the year.

Amongst the issues facing Kilkenny Local Authorities arising from the economic downturn has been:-

• The cutting of funding to local authorities from central funding.
• The substantial decreases in income from commercial rates.
• The substantial decline in capital income arising from decreases in Development Contributions.
• The difficulties that arise for staff and for delivery of service arising from the staffing embargo, early retirement schemes and the non renewal of contracts for temporary and contract staff.

At the Handling Significant Change Meeting held in December 2009 the County Manager acknowledged the work that had been done by staff in the difficult circumstances throughout the year.

Whilst the impact of the economic crisis was the main focus, a number of items were progressed through the work of the partnership committee and the various working groups:-

• A protocol document was signed off in January 2009 setting out how issues should be dealt with through the partnership forum.
• A Child Protection Policy was signed off at the July meeting of the main partnership committee following much preparatory work by a working group.
• The Kilkenny Local Authorities Fraud & Corruption Policy was agreed.
• The revised Dignity at Work Policy was agreed.
• Considerable progress was made during the latter part of the year by a Partnership Working Group looking at on call arrangements.
• Education schemes continue to be progressed through the partnership forum such as Return to Learning, The FETEC Accredited training and grants supporting third level studies.
• The Junior Achievement Programme was continued during 2009 with 400 students being visited by Junior Achievement volunteers employed by Kilkenny County Council.

Updates and information were given on the following items which form part of the change agenda.

• Presentation made on the shared services programme.
• Presentation  made on water services.
• During the year a number of presentations were made updating the committee regarding the closure of Dunmore Landfill.
• Updates were given on the South East Joint Waste Management Plan.

Health Promotion continued to be a focus of the partnership process with a further extensive staff health screening programme being carried out in September -October 2009. Kilkenny Local Authorities promotion of health within the workplace as driven by the partnership process was recognised internationally when Kilkenny County Council was shortlisted as part of The Move Europe Programme and Kilkenny Local Authorities were awarded Silver certificate in October 2009.

Seamus Hogan who was Union Joint Chair for the Kilkenny Local Authorities Partnership Committee for a number of years stepped down from that position in March 2009. It was agreed that Shay Burke of the SIPTU Union would take over the position of Union Joint Chair. All participants thanked Seamus for his great contribution to the process over the past number of years, often in very difficult circumstances and wished Shay the best of luck in his position.

The breakdown in national talks which occurred just before Christmas has had serious implications for the partnership process both at national and local level. However, all participants at the significant change meeting held on 21st December, 2009 agreed there would be an ongoing need for some forum be it under the official heading of Workplace Partnership or under the broader information and consultation process that management, unions and staff meet to share information and discuss how best to implement policies with implications for staff and for the general public which Kilkenny Local Authorities serve.
 

Register of Electors

A Register of Electors is produced annually. The Register is a list of all persons over 18 years of age resident in the County who are entitled to vote in Elections to the Dail, European Assembly, Presidential, Local Elections and Referenda.

Customer Service Initiatives

A number of initiatives were introduced during the year with the intention of improving customer care and the delivery of quality services to the public. These include

• New Planning Customer Service Desk which is accessible for people with disabilities.
• Validation of Planning Applications at the Public Counter.
• Edirect rolled out to all Departments and Area Offices.
• Lunch Time Opening extended to all Departments.
• On line payments system for parking /Traffic fines,fire charges Housing loans.
• Introduction of Billpay as customer payment method.
• Taking in Charge of Housing Estates Protocol agreed in partnership with CIF.
• Modern Area Offices with decentralised services.
• Sign language and Irish classes provided to staff to enhance customer care.
• Improved disability access.
• Wireless links to Area Offices.

Barcelona Declaration:

A working Group has been established consisting of internal and external Stakeholders in respect of the implementation of the Barcelona Declaration and Sectoral Pan as provided for in the Disability Act 2005 Funding has been received under the National Disability Strategy to commence the provision of services and activity contained in the outline Sectoral Plan.

Section 66 Grants

Kilkenny County Council grant aided 69 community groups in 2005 under this scheme. The total grants allocated was €38,755.This scheme grant aids community groups who promote the social, economic, environmental, recreational and cultural development of their areas.

Ombudsman Complaints

Freedom of Information

Appeals

Number of Council Meetings

Number of Council Meetings, Committee Meetings Held from 1st January, 2005 to 31st December, 2005.

Workplace Partnership in Kilkenny County and City Councils

During 2005 the process of managing change through Partnership has continued with the embedding of the process through local initiatives and the implementation of national policies.

Under the "Sustaining Progress" Agreement, increases under Benchmarking have to be verified against agreed commitments and flexibility measures. The Performance Verification Group set up under this process visited Kilkenny in September 2005 and were satisfied that Kilkenny Local Authorities are honouring their commitments under this process. Central to their deliberations was the active role of Partnership in delivering these changes.

The first meetings within the Partnership Forum between full time Union Officials and the full Management Team took place in 2005. These meetings which were initiated as part of the "Handling Significant Change Through Partnership Process" have proved very useful and are to continue in 2006.

Partnership working groups set up as part of an going staff consultation process continued to meet in 2005 to review progress made in respect of priority issues identified by these four groups. Arising out of the recommendations of the four groups the following positive outcomes have taken place:-

• Cross functional team meetings taking place at area level to co-ordinate services for the public.
• Development of communications strategy through ongoing contributions to the local authority page in the Kilkenny People.
• Development and resourcing of the Customer Service desk.
• Ongoing development of the new Machinery Yard complex.
• Agreement of flexible working arrangements to be incorporated within lunchtime opening.
• Review of working arrangements at area level with a view to incorporating a system of planned maintenance for sanitary services work.
• Progressing family friendly issues for staff.
• Examination of procurement policy to ensure greater value for money and greater input from the end user.

Other Working Groups currently in operation include a Sanitary Services working group looking at water conservation, a health in the workplace group which initiated a health promotion day in October, 2005 and a Creche Committee set up to examine the feasibility of incorporating child care facilities within any proposed development in County Hall.

The Kilkenny Borough Council working group continues to address issues raised through Partnership for Kilkenny Borough Council. Arising from staff consultations in 2003, a document was completed raising issues that affect staff and the general customers of Kilkenny Borough Council. Most of these issues have now been addressed. These include:-

• Clarity regarding chain of command.
• Better scheduling of work.
• Increased and balanced representation on the main local authority committee.
• Better communications between the committee and staff in general.
• Better maintenance of equipment.
• Improvement of conditions in the Borough Yard.
• Examination of the policy regarding hire versus purchasing of equipment.
• A review of the housing maintenance function was carried out by a housing working group. The findings of this report were endorsed by both the main Borough Partnership Committee and management in December, 2005. This report is to info rm changes in how Kilkenny Borough Council carries out its housing maintenance programme for 2006 and beyond.

There were a number of changes in personnel on Kilkenny Local Authorities Partnership Committee in 2005. Of particular note was the appointment of a new Union Joint Chair, Mr. Seamus Hogan, IMPACT Representative who took over from Dave Gallagher who has left the organisation on a career break. Seamus together with Philip O'Neill, Director of Service, Management Joint Chair are entrusted along with Adrian Waldron , Workplace Partnership Facilitator in focusing the committee and driving the change process as necessary. The joint chairs of the Kilkenny Borough Council committee are Kieran Fitzgerald , Borough Engineer, Management Joint Chair and Walter Comerford, SIPTU, Union Joint Chair.

Along with the ongoing commitments of the working groups there were a number of projects advanced in 2005. These included:-

• Workplace health testing for staff and elected members.
• Publication of staff magazine.
• Completion of facilitation training for staff liaising with community groups.
• Return to learning project.
• Health promotion in the work place day.

Register of Electors

2003/2004 Register of Electors - Highlights

European Parliment

Conditions for Registration

Age: A person must be at least 18 years of age on the day the register comes into force (15th February). A person may be included on a Supplement to the Register on reaching 18 and after the 15th February. Every resident aged 18 and upwards is entitled to be on the register or the Supplement.

Citizenship: A person's citizenship determines the election a person may vote at. The right to vote is as follows:

The Draft Register of Electors is published on the 1st November each year.

The Final Register of Electors is published on the 1st February each year and becomes effective from the 15th February.

SUPPLEMENT TO THE REGISTER OF ELECTORS

If a person is not included in the Register of Electors currently in force but considers that he/she qualifies for registration, the person may apply for entry in a supplement to the register. In order to qualify, a person must meet the citizenship, residence and age requirements which apply to the register concerned. Applications for entry in the supplement must be received by Kilkenny County Council at least 14 working days before an election or referendum. Persons entered in the supplement are entitled to vote at elections/referenda held during the currency of the register.

POSTAL VOTERS

The following categories can vote by post:

1. Whole-time members of the Defence Forces.
2. Irish Diplomats posted abroad and their spouses.
3. Members of the Garda Siochana.
4. Disabled persons living at home who cannot vote at a polling station due to physical illness or physical disability,
5. Persons who due to circumstances of their occupation, service or employment. This includes students participating in a full time course in this state.

Note: Applications for a postal vote must be renewed on an annual basis.

SPECIAL VOTERS

Electors who are ordinarily resident in a hospital, home or other institution for persons with a physical illness or physical disability are eligible for entry on a special voters list. This is where a special presiding officer is accompanied by a Garda, whose role is to guard the ballot papers (in the same way as in a polling station) and to act as an independent witness to ensure that the voting procedure is carried out properly.

Note: Applications to be included in the Special Voters List must be renewed on an annual basis.

INSPECTING THE REGISTER

Any person may inspect the Draft Register/Final Register during working hours at the offices of Kilkenny County Council, Kilkenny Borough Council, Public Libraries, Post Offices and Garda Stations.

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Acts 1997 came into effect for Local Authorities from 21st October 1998. An application fee of 15 Euro must accompany a request for non-personal information (Freedom of Information Act 2003). A total of 26 requests were received in 2003.

Number of Council Meetings + Payments to Councillors

Number of Council Meetings, Committee Meetings Held from 1st January, 2003 to 31st December, 2003.

Payments:

Workplace Partnership in Kilkenny County and City Councils

During 2003 an extensive consultation process took place with staff of Kilkenny County and Borough Council. These consultation sessions commenced in Kilkenny Borough Council on 28th April, 2003 and the last of the sessions with the Council staff took place on 3rd December. Over that period 61 separate consultation sessions took place with a total of 481 staff participating across the two local authorities. Staff at all grades and levels were consulted.

This process was undertaken for a number of reasons:
1. The report from these sessions will feed into Kilkenny Local Authorities Corporate Plans for 2004/2006.

2. One of the key issues of the Strategic Plan "Deepening Partnership in Local Government and the Local Authorities Partnership Committee Action Plan" is the identification through consultation with staff of a range of issues which could be addressed through partnership and which will deliver visible and positive outcomes for employees, managers and customers.

3. It was felt necessary to get the views of the staff of Kilkenny Borough Council and Kilkenny County Council as to what they saw as being the main issues affecting the organisation and how they believe these issues should be addressed.

4. Subsequent to the commencement of these consultation sessions - "Sustaining Progress - Social Partnership Agreement 2003/2005" was drawn up. Under this national agreement pay increases under benchmarking have to be verified against agreed commitments or criteria as contained in the agreement. All of the flexibility initiatives required will be progressed through the partnership process.  This report will form the basis of progressing these initiatives.

The sessions were facilitated by Adrian Waldron, Workplace Partnership Facilitator and Brid Hynes, Lindsay Butler and Ronan Ryan, Community Development Officers with the Community & Enterprise Section.

The Consultation process with staff from Kilkenny Borough Council took place over the time Monday, 28th April, 2003 to Friday, 30th May, 2003. The report was presented to staff on 16th July. Following the presentation of this report a Working Group was set up from staff members to address the issues which arose in the consultation sessions. This committee held their first meeting in November, 2003. The sessions with County Council staff took place between July and December, 2003. The report based on these consultation sessions is currently in the process of being completed and will be presented to staff at the end of January, 2004.

Whereas the focus of workplace partnership changed from being project based towards being more central as to how the organization runs its business, there were still a number of projects from which staff benefited from during the year:

• Health and Safety Projects.
• Computer Courses.
• Customer Service Training.
• Funding was received for a family friendly day which will take place during 2004.
• Facilities for improvements to the Borough Yard .

During meetings with all area based staff and borough staff in January and February 2003, most of the balance of the long service awards were presented by the County Manager, Michael Malone, to the staff who were unable to attend the function held in December, 2002.

The Corporate Affairs Department is responsible for the provision and management of a very wide range of services, which include County Council Meetings, Building Administration, Corporate Planning, Organisation Development, Franchise, Policy Research.

Register of Electors:

A Register of Electors is produced annually. The Register is a list of all persons over 18 years of age resident in the County who are entitled to vote in Elections to the Dail, European Assembly, Presidential, Local Elections and Referenda.

In May 2006 the Minister for the Environment announced a package of measures aimed at assisting local authorities in securing significant improvements in the accuracy of the register. These measures were continued throughout 2007 and 2008.

• Ensuring a minimum of two calls per dwelling by field workers where information was not obtained on the first visit or a form has not been returned
• Obtain information from the household only - no third party information
• Date of birth to be collected for all persons, where possible
• Use of a customized and user-friendly Register Work Book to record appropriate details
• Consistently adhering to the Department of Environment Guidelines as issued
• On-going publicity of the registration process
• Adequate back-up office staff to update the Register on an on- going basis
• Adequate checking and audit of the process

A total of 35 fieldworkers were employed on compiling the Register during 2008.

The Draft Register is printed on the 1st November of every year and distributed to Post Offices, Libraries, and Garda Stations thus providing people with the opportunity to check if they were on the Draft Register. A website is also available for this purpose www.checktheregister.ie

The Live Register is subsequently published on 1st February and comes into force on the 15th February.

Supplement to the Register: A person who is qualified to be registered but, for any reason, is not included on the published register, may apply to be included on a supplement to the register before the fourteenth day before polling day (Sundays, Public Holidays and Good Friday are excluded). Following the Electoral Amendment Act, 2001 applications to be included on the supplement to the Register of Electors must now be witnessed by a member of the Gárda Siochana.

Under the provisions of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2001, a person who is on a Register of Electors and moves residence from one constituency to another constituency or from one local electoral area to another local electoral area, can apply for entry onto the supplement at their new address, provided the person authorises the appropriate local authority to delete their name from their old address.

Section 66 Grants:

A total of 75 Grants were awarded under the above Scheme totalling €50,000.

Ombudsman Complaints

Number of Council Meetings + Payments to Councillors

Number of Council Meetings, Committee Meetings Held from 1st January, 2008 to 31st December, 2008.

Payments to Councillors

Workplace Partnership in Kilkenny County and City Councils

Facing the challenges of the worsening economic situation was the overriding issue for workplace partnership in 2008. At a handling significant change meeting in November of that year Joe Crockett County Manager outlined to the senior management, union officials and partnership committee members present of the cost saving measures being imposed by central government on local authorities and outlined the areas that would be examined to achieve savings in 2009.

This key meeting also saw the partnership committee agreeing a work programme for 2009 and agreeing the drawing up of a protocol document as to how Kilkenny Local Authorities do their business through partnership.

This protocol document was presented to the committee in December 2008.

Amongst the significant issues progress through the partnership process in 2008 were the following:

• Public Private Partnerships. A working group set up to examine to examine potential PPP's met on a number of occasions in 2008. Following a request by union representatives on the working group, Dr. Eoin Reeves from the University of Limerick was engaged as an independent consultant to examine the draft preliminary reports submitted in respect of a number of schemes. Following extensive consultations involving the full working group which comprised of relevant shop stewards, union officials, senior water services staff together with Dr. Reeves and representatives of the various consultants, reports were submitted to the Department of Environment on a number of schemes.
• The issue of restructuring of services in Kilkenny Borough Council was completed in 2008.
• Various staff policy issues were concluded through Partnership in 2008 including:
  • An Attendance Management Policy,
  • A Staff Security Policy following which information on dealing with workplace violence was forwarded to all staff members.
  • A survey was completed on work life balance following which a booklet on same was forwarded to all staff members informing them of schemes available.
• As part of the verification process required under the Towards 2016 Agreement action plans were agreed by the partnership committee and submitted. A group from Kilkenny Local Authorities also attended to meet with the Performance Verification Group in Portlaoise in April 2008, following which payment of that section of the Towards 2016 agreement was sanctioned.

Some of the students receiving an award made by Junior Achievement Ireland

Other notable achievements made by Partnership during 2008 were the following:-

• Continuance of the Return to Learning Programme and successful completion of an upskilling course in partnership with FAS and the VEC for which Kilkenny County Council was one of the pilots.
• The Junior Achievement programme continued successfully with volunteers from Kilkenny County Council attending a number of schools throughout the City and County. In all 450 pupils finished various junior achievement programmes at primary and post primary level. Kilkenny Local Authorities commitment to this programme as recognised by an award made by Junior Achievement Ireland at a function in May 2008.
• Kilkenny Local Authorities policy at promoting health in the workplace was recognised by them reaching the final stages of a European Health Campaign known as "MOVE" Europe. These initiatives have been coordinated by Workplace Partnership in conjunction with HR/Corporate and Kilkenny Local Authorities Social Club.

The Corporate Services Department is responsible for the provision and management of a very wide range of services, which include Elected Member support & administration, County Council Meetings, Building & Facilities Management, Register of Electors and Insurances.

Register of Electors

The Annual Register is a list of all persons over 18 years of age resident in the County who are entitled to vote in Elections to the Dail, European Assembly, Presidential, Local Elections and Referenda.
 

The Draft Register is available in Post Offices, Libraries, and Garda Stations thus providing people with the opportunity to check if they on it. A website is also available for this purpose www.checktheregister.ie.

A person, for any reason, who is not included on the published register, or has moved from one address to another may apply to be included on a supplement to the register.