Council staff commended for work in schools

Cork City Council employees were recognised for their work in a variety of schools across Cork city and county by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Donal Counihan recently.

The Lord Mayor presented 19 employees with a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of their effective and successful work with 510 primary and secondary students.

Nineteen Cork City Council employees volunteered to deliver Junior Achievement programmes in 12 schools around the city and county during the last academic year. The employees introduced the students to business and enterprise skills, taught the students about vital life skills, encouraged their audience to make decisions and contribute to the community in which they live.

Commenting, the Lord Mayor said, "This has been a fantastic achievement and one that would not have been possible without the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of all the employees involved" St Aloysius Girl's Secondary School was especially commended for raising €375 for the Irish Cancer Society last February with the assistance of their Business Volunteer, Paula Kelleher, Personnel Department, Cork City Council.

Another highlight for the year was the launch of the "Ár gCathair" programme in April at Gaelscoil Mhachan. The programme was delivered by Chris Dorgan, Corporate Affairs, Cork City Council.

Pushing the boundary

Green Party Senator Dan Boyle has welcomed Environment, Heritage and Local Government Minister John Gormley's decision to establish a boundary committee to examine an extension of Limerick City Council's boundary and said an early decision on Cork boundaries is now possible.

The Cork-based senator said, "I welcome the first use of a provision under local government legislation that fast tracks decisions on city boundary extensions. Under this provision the Minister establishes a three person boundary commission. There follows a one month period of public consultation process followed by a report on which the Minister makes an early decision. This is then endorsed by the Cabinet and voted on by the Dáil and Seanad.

"With a decision on Limerick now made I will be encouraging my colleague, the Minister, to quickly initiate a similar procedure for Cork City, whose boundaries have been unchanged since 1965, despite the large proportion of population living outside these outdated boundaries."