County Mayor's Diary
This year so far has been challenging in many ways, but throughout, the communities of Cork county have pulled together.
Volunteers, community groups, local businesses and many others have come together to provide vital support for vulnerable people since the onset of Covid-19. Cork County Council’s Project ACT has joined with these groups to support the reopening of business and society throughout the county.
The past number of weeks have brought another challenge in the form of extreme weather. Sudden rainfalls and successive storms caused extensive damage.
Businesses who had worked so hard to re-open for their communities were impacted at an already vulnerable time.
The damage was evident in many parts of the county, I saw first-hand the devastating impact of the floods in West Cork, but the resilience of these communities has been outstanding. Local people worked alongside council crews and fire services to restore their hometowns and villages and support the wider community. This tenacity, selflessness and public spirit is something we should take great pride in.
Cork County Council continues to work closely with all partners to review the damage and address concerns highlighted during recent events.
Cork county was recently allocated more than €6.6 million for Active Travel and Climate Adaptation measures under the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus Plan.
This funding builds on projects already commenced by Cork County Council under its Project ACT initiative and will support works that improve quality of life in our communities, making it easier for children to walk or cycle to school and to their clubs and activities. It will improve safety on footpaths and pedestrian crossings and make local amenities more accessible.
€1.6m from this fund is earmarked for climate adaptation measures which will be important in meeting the challenges associated with climate change such as flooding and the other impacts of severe weather events like those seen last month.
A big part of what makes Cork such a great place to live is the community supports that are available. Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service plays a vital role in this regard, providing a free, safe and welcoming space for the entire community.
This service belongs to us all, so it is important that we have our say in what comes next. I invite you all to let us know what you think the next steps should be for the Library and Arts Service Development Plan 2020 – 2025 by logging on to yourcouncil.ie before 25 September.
Since March, the people of Cork county have shown incredible resilience and adaptability as a community, responding to the needs of the day, working together to rise to the challenges we face. I have every faith that the community spirit that has defined our response to this year’s challenges will be the key to a bright future for Cork county.