Information about the FOI Body
INFORMATION ABOUT KERRY COUNTY COUNCIL
Kerry County Council was established under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. The first meeting was held in the Courthouse, Ashe Street, Tralee, on 22nd April, 1899. At different stages Kerry County Council had its headquarters at the County Hall, Godfrey Place, Tralee (across from the Dominican Church) and at the Ashe Memorial Hall, Denny Street, Tralee. Since January 1989, Kerry County Council has had its headquarters at Rathass, Tralee.
Kerry County Council has been operating in the service of the people of CountyKerry for over 100 years and has evolved in that time to the body presently responsible for the provision of a wide range of services for the community. Now in our second centennial of existence, we intend to continue to change and adapt our role in accordance with the changing demands and expectations of the people whom we serve. In this context Kerry County Council embraces the three principles of Comhar, Cabhair agus Cairdeas enshrined in our motto on the County Coat-of-Arms and undertake to uphold the following values:
Comhar [Co-operation] To work in partnerships to ensure that the democratic rights of each individual and organisation are recognised.
Cabhair [Service] To be committed to providing a first class service to the public in a manner that is honest, open, fair and gives value for money. We will exercise our regulatory role in an equitable and impartial manner in the interests of the common good.
Cairdeas [Friendliness] To value the friendliness for which the people of Kerry are renowned and so, we aim to ensure that our service to the community is given in a courteous and responsive manner.
STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION
Kerry County Council is an organisation of more than 1,200 staff. This staff resource gives Kerry County Council the capacity to address issues in a multi-disciplinary manner and to respond to the needs of the community and emergencies through out the entire geographical area.
Kerry County Council is both a provider of essential services to the citizens of Kerry as well as a representational body for the people of Kerry. Local Government in Ireland operates jointly through directly elected representatives and full time executives headed by the Chief Executive, (formerly County Manager)
The following are the principal managerial positions as at April 2016
| Directorate | Senior Management
|
Business Area | Business Unit Head |
| Economic Development & Community | Michael Scannell, A/ Director of Service | Business Support/LEO | Tomas Hayes, Head of Local Enterprise |
| Community & Built Infrastructure
(including Municipal District Officers and Support) |
Niamh O Sullivan, Senior Executive Officer | ||
| Tourism Development | Joan McCarthy, Senior Executive Officer | ||
| Planning & Sustainable Development (including Enforcement) | Senior Planner/Senior Engineer – (VACANT)
Enforcement – Gerard O Brien A/ Senior Executive Officer |
||
| Quality of Life/Water | John Breen, Director of Service | Fire/ Building Control | Michael Hession, Chief Fire Officer |
| Environmental Protection | Gerard O Brien, A/ Senior Executive Officer | ||
| Water Services | John Kennelly, A/ Senior Engineer | ||
| Library Services | Tommy O Connor, CountyLibrarian | ||
| Corporate Services & Housing | Martin O Donoghue, A/ Director of Service | Human Resources & Org Development | Liam Quinlan, Senior Executive Officer |
| Corporate Services/Meetings Administration | Liam Quinlan, Senior Executive Officer | ||
| Housing | Christina Farrell, Senior Executive Officer | ||
| Internal Audit | Michael O Leary, Senior Executive Officer | ||
| Finance, Procurement and IT | Angela McAllen, Head of Finance | Finance | Karen Lynch, Senior Executive Officer
Joanna Maher, Financial/Management Accountant |
| Information Technology | Brian Looney, Head of Information Systems | ||
| Procurement | Catherine Carmody, A/Head of Procurement | ||
| Operations, Infrastructure, Health & Safety | Charlie O Sullivan, Director of Service | Operations | David Doyle, A/Senior Engineer
Gerry Riordan, Senior Engineer |
| Capital Infrastructure | Tom Sheehy, Senior Engineer | ||
| National Road Design Office | Paul Curry, A/Senior Engineer | ||
| Legal Services | Rosemary Cronin, A/ County Solicitor |
The Chief Executive of the Council and is responsible for the day to day operations of Kerry County Council. She acts by means of a written Manager’s Order. When making decisions the CE must act in a way that is consistent with the policy framework that has been established by the elected members and she must take into account the wishes of the elected members. The CE has delegated her powers, duties and functions in relation to a number of service areas to individual members of the Senior Management Team which is made up of Directors of Service in a number of different departments within the Council.
The functions carried out by the County Manager are called ‘executive functions’. These functions include the following:
- the granting or refusal of planning permission
- the renting of local authority homes
- the management of staff
Representational Role of Kerry County Council
The representational role is performed by the directly elected members of Kerry County Council. Kerry County Council is made up of 33 elected members drawn from five Municipal Districts which were introduced to replace the old Local Electoral Areas following the passage of the Local Government Reform Act, 2014. The councillors are elected by the proportional representation system, for a period of five years. The Council elects a Cathaoirleach (chairperson) at its Annual Meeting in June each year.
Contact details for all offices:
Kerry County Council can be contacted in the following ways:
Phone: 066 7183500
E-mail: info@kerrycoco.ie
A list of contact details for the various departments and offices in Kerry County Council can be found here:
Contact Us
Kerry County Council
Co Buildings,
Rathass,
Tralee,
Co. Kerry
Tel: 066/7183500
E: info@kerrycoco.ie