Kilkenny County Development Board

Kilkenny County Development Board (CDB) is supported By Kilkenny County Council in its role in focusing on the co-ordinated and integrated delivery of services in the county. The 30 members of the board are drawn from the Local Authority Sector, Local Development Sector, State Agency Sector and the Social Partners.

The CDB works through two main sub-groups, Economic sub group and the Social Inclusion Measures (SIM) sub-group, made up of agencies and groups that have the capacity to shape and deliver on actions identified.
 

Economic Sub Group

The Economic Sub-group organised the Invest Kilkenny conference where the Invest Kilkenny website was launched; both are deemed as hugely successful.

Social Inclusion Measures Sub Group

The SIM Sub-group assisted in the establishment of the NIRSA project. The project was developed in conjunction with the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), which provides a tool for sharing multi-agency data using geographic information systems (GIS). A full-time GIS researcher was also employed by NUI Maynooth under the project.
 

 

Revitalisation of Areas by Planning Investment and Development (RAPID)

The RAPID programme provides a mechanism by which funding programmes can be prioritised for the most disadvantaged urban and provincial areas.

The RAPID Area Implementation Team in Kilkenny comprises all agencies with a social inclusion remit. Each agency has a responsibility to engage with RAPID Communities and prioritise these areas and these communities in work and implementation plans locally.

The programme has seven strategic themes; Community Safety, Family Supports, Health, Youth Support, Physical Environment, Education& Employment and Training. Key achievements in 2011 include the following;

• the development of an exercise track with outdoor equipment at Bishop Demense. The development of this 4 acre site has been progressing for the past number of years in consultation with the local Butts Community.
• No. 83 Newpark Close was made available to the Community Committee as a community house. This community house is managed by a Community Committee, which is made up of residents on the estate, in association with the Board of Management of the Family Resource Centre in the area.
• The Rapid Community Garden Programme is a cross community local training initiative funded by FAS, co-ordinated through RAPID and is supported by Newpark Close FRC, Happe House, Fr. McGrath centre, DSP, KLP and VEC. Further elements of the programme include a cross community initiative between Newpark Close, Hebron Park and The Butts with 40 trainees and a 25 week Fetac level 3 award involving Modules in Horticulture, Construction, Communications, Career Preparation, Math's & Computers.

Phase 3 of the Bishop Demense project will involve the development of playing pitches and the opening of a community gardern for the Butts community.

 

The number of visitors to local authority -facilitated leisure facilities 432,380 in 2011 up from 384,000 in 2010.

 

Kilkenny Integration Forum

• Kilkenny County Council received funding from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to fund the work of Kilkenny Integration Forum. A budget of €6,000 was made available for members or member groups of the Integration Forum to host an intercultural sports or celebration event.
• The Asouli Art Group organised an exhibition of their work at Butler Court, Patrick Street, Kilkenny as part of the Kilkenny Art Festival from the 5th to 14th of August 2011.
• Ossory Youth Intercultural Camp was made up of 12 young people, some from the Sudanese Kilkenny Youth Group and other new recruits from Kilkenny (15-18 years old).
• The Association of Sudanese Communities in Kilkenny hosted a celebration of the Independence of the Republic of Southern Sudan on the 19th of August in Millennium Court.
• The Kilkenny Congolese Community celebrated Congolese Cultural with an event in the Watershed.
• St. Canice's Community Action hosted a Table Tennis Tournament in the Butts neighbourhood Centre.
• The Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation hosted an open family day for the general public and friends of Lebanon.
• The Gambia Association of Ireland, based in Kilkenny also ran a public family fun day.
• Kilkenny County Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Integration Centre who will lead and support the process of developing an Integration Strategy for Kilkenny.
• Kilkenny County Council was successful in winning the Integration Centre's Diverse Ireland Awards under the Local Authority category. These awards have been created to raise awareness of the positive advancements around immigrant integration in Ireland. These awards have been established to help people learn more about the important work being done and to honour the efforts of those who are creating stronger, more unified and successful communities.
• The County Development Board and its subgroups and action groups continue to be supported by the Directorate and staff from the Community and Culture Section with support for the Economic sub-group coming from the Director of Finance within Kilkenny County Council.

 

Kilkenny County Council was successful in winning the Integration Centre's Diverse Ireland Awards under the Local Authority category.

 

Kilkenny County Council received funding from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to fund the work of Kilkenny Integration Forum.