Council News
40 Years of Arts and Local Government: How Ireland's Councils Became the Engine of Cultural Life
This week marks 40 years since the Arts Council and Ireland's 31 local authorities began working together in a formal partnership to support arts and creativity at community level.
Ireland's New Rental Laws Are Three Months In — Here's How They're Actually Landing
The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 came into force on 1 March 2026, representing the most significant overhaul of Ireland's private rental framework in over a decade. Three months in, the early evidence from tenants, landlords and local authorities is starting to come into view.
Dublin City Council Launches Major Housing Push With Up to 12,000 Homes in the Pipeline
A new tender invites private developers and landowners to partner with the council on mixed-tenure schemes — every proposal carrying at least 100 social homes — layered on top of an active pipeline of more than 100 projects and roughly 12,000 social and affordable homes.
The EU Migration Pact Is Live Today. Here Is What It Means for Ireland's 31 Local Authorities.
From reception centres to housing pressures to community integration, the EU Migration and Asylum Pact that came into force this morning has direct, practical consequences for every local authority in Ireland. Here is what it means — and what it demands.
1,090 Homes. 30 Acres of Woodland. The Taoiseach on Site. This Is What Housing at Scale Looks Like.
The O'Flynn Group has broken ground on the first phase of its 1,090-home Dunkettle masterplan — the largest single housing scheme currently under construction in Cork. Taoiseach Micheál Martin joined founder Michael O'Flynn on Monday to mark the occasion. Here is what the development means for Cork, for housing delivery and for the communities it will serve.
Ireland's Energy Revolution: €18.9 Billion for the Grid, Offshore Wind Accelerating and a Decade That Will Redefine How Ireland Powers Itself
From a €18.9 billion grid investment to an EIB funding package and Ireland's most ambitious renewable energy targets in history — the transformation of Ireland's energy infrastructure is underway. Here is the full picture.
Social Housing Delivery in Ireland: Which Councils Are Hitting Their Targets — And Which Are Falling Short
9,088 social homes were delivered in Ireland in 2025 — the highest number since the 1970s. But only 17 per cent were directly built by local authorities. The State missed its 2024 social housing target by almost 20 per cent. And with 12,000 new social homes needed every year to meet Government targets, the gap between ambition and delivery remains stubbornly wide.
The New eTenders Rules Every Irish Business Bidding for Council Contracts Needs to Know
New procurement thresholds came into effect on 15 December 2025 and 1 January 2026. The rules on when contracts must be advertised on eTenders, when EU procedures apply and what businesses need to do to compete have been updated. Here is the complete picture.
Ireland's Water Infrastructure Crisis: Uisce Éireann Can Only Support 35,000 New Homes a Year. The Target Is 50,000. Here Is What It Will Take to Fix It.
€13.6 billion approved for 2025-2029. €1.4 billion from Budget 2026. €120 billion needed long-term. A network that cannot support the homes the country needs to build. The full picture of Ireland's water infrastructure challenge — and what is being done about it.
LPT Reform: What the New Baseline Funding Model Means for Every Council in Ireland
€744 million in total LPT allocations for 2026. A €42 million increase in baseline funding. A 33 per cent increase in baselines over three years. And a new model that allows councils to retain significantly more of their own surplus. The Local Property Tax reforms that came into effect this year are the most significant changes to local government funding in a decade.