Silouette graphic representing Tipperary

Service Delivery Plan Publication

Local authorities publish annual plans to outline the actions they intend to take to meet their commitments to deliver high-quality and efficient services.

Annual Service Delivery Plan

The Local Government Reform Act, 2014, established the requirement for each local authority to prepare an Annual Service Delivery Plan identifying the services that it proposes to deliver to the public in the year ahead. The purpose of this Plan is to provide a corporate document that highlights the services that will be provided by Tipperary County Council across all directorates in 2020 and has been prepared based on the provisions of the adopted budget of Tipperary County Council for 2020.
 

With a geographical area of 4,282 sq. km and a population of 159,553 Tipperary is the sixth largest of the 32 counties by area and the eleventh largest by population. The region is part of the central plain of Ireland, but the diversified terrain contains several mountain ranges: the Knockmealdown, the Galtee, the Arra Hills and the Silvermine Mountains. The River Suir runs through the southern portion of the county, while tributaries of the Shannon run through the northern part of the county and into Lough Derg. No part of the county touches the coast. The centre is known as ‘the Golden Vale’, a rich pastoral stretch of land in the Suir basin which extends into counties Limerick and Cork.
 

The county is traversed by key national arterial routes such as M7, M8, N24, as well as train lines from Dublin to Cork and Limerick, and Waterford to Limerick.
 

Of the total population of 159,553, (Census 2016), 41.5% (66,244 persons) lived in urban areas, with 58.5% (93,309 persons) living in rural areas. In the 2016 census over 14,000 Tipperary residents’ identified themselves as a nationality other than Irish making the county representative of both rural Ireland and a modern multi-cultural society.
 

Tipperary County Council is responsible for providing a wide range of services and supports to this diverse range of customers, which includes over 159,500 residents in 69,106 households, approx 14,000 businesses with over 63,400 employees, along with those who visit our county whether for recreation or work.
 

Tipperary County Council’s Corporate Plan 2020-2024 describes the kind of Tipperary we want to see in the future and what we will do as the County Council together with all stakeholders, to deliver the vision for the County:–
“Tipperary - A vibrant place where people can live, visit and work in a competitive and resilient economy, a sustainable environment and an inclusive and active community”

It contains four Strategic Themes for which strategies have been developed which will deliver our vision and ensure the improvement of Council services and infrastructure over the period of the Plan 2020 - 2024.

The Four Strategic Themes are:

  • Our Economy;
  • Our Community;
  • Our Environment; and,
  • Our People

For each Strategy, a number of supporting Objectives were identified, for which actions and activities are now set out by each Directorate in this Annual Service Delivery Plan for 2020 (ASDP), including the Schedules of Municipal District Works (SMDWs).

The current service delivery model sees Nenagh and Clonmel as the two main council centres reflecting the strong economic and social focus of both towns at either end of the county. Council functions are divided across the two centres so that some are managed from one, with others from the second centre. Both centres have the capacity to deliver frontline services for all council functions.

Municipal Districts, through offices in Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Nenagh, Thurles and Tipperary, also provide a large range of infrastructural services for their communities, and play an active role in the development of the Municipal District's industry, business, social, arts, heritage and cultural affairs.

Notwithstanding the above, the service delivery plan for 2020 must operate within the context of the very significant challenges presented by the Covid-19 public health pandemic, current negotiations on the formation of a new Government and the preparation of a new National Development Plan that will follow from negotiations.

Tipperary County Council plays a lead role at local level in the implementation of Government policy on economic development, housing provision, climate action, wellbeing and supporting those who are most vulnerable in our community. As well as being one of the major employers in the county, Tipperary County Council contributes significantly to the local economy with a combined capital and revenue spend of circa €200m annually.

In order to maintain this level of spend and to avoid adverse impact on services, it is critically important that Tipperary County Council is given support from Central Government to enable it to be a major player in the recovery process. While the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the finances of Tipperary County Council has yet to be measured and will depend to a large degree on the duration of the crisis and the rate of recovery, our best estimate at this time of the impact on our revenue streams and additional costs for the current year is €20.58m.

The national and local recovery process will require investment and commitment across all sectors of our society and economy. Tipperary County Council, as a local authority with responsibility for the delivery of a broad range of economic policies and local services, will play our part in this recovery process.
 

Joe MacGrath

Chief Executive
Tipperary County Council