COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 16, 2012

MOTION NO. 6 

MOTION: Councillor B. Bonner

That this Council fully endorses and supports the Council’s Social Credit Scheme which rewards community groups who improve their environment by carrying out pro-environmental actions, and asks that the Manager outline her proposals to ensure that sufficient resources are in place to ensure that the scheme can continue to bring benefits to our communities particularly in light of the proactive approach being taken at local level in environmental initiates such as Tidy Towns etc.

REPORT: 

The Social Credits Scheme (SCS) was established by South Dublin County Council to promote and generate social capital within the County. The SCS rewards Community groups, Youth groups, Resident associations and Schools who improve their environment by cleaning up, planting and maintaining areas and encourages them to continue taking positive sustainable actions within their community. The programme aspires to motivate, assist and reward groups, who may not be involved in the enhancement of local area, to get involved and to take ownership of the County.

The SCS is promoted throughout the County by frontline staff, through Council and Community facilities and on the website and social media. Information on the SCS has been circulated to community groups throughout the County and groups can apply online at www.socialcredits.ie where photos, FAQ’s and testimonials from previous applicants may be viewed.

During 2011, 84 applications were received of which 51 groups were successful in receiving rewards for their efforts. To date in 2012, there have been 65 applications of which 45 groups have received rewards. A total of 110 rewards have been issued and include the following:

Removal of collected litter & cleanup materials 73
Top soil  7
Planting of trees  4
Tickets to see Shamrock Rovers FC  3
Civic Theatre Tickets   2
Shrubs 2
Paint for graffiti removal 2
Tour of Pet Farm, Corkagh Park 2
Dog Fouling bags 2
Pool party, Clondalkin Leisure Centre  2
Repair of road ramps  1
Pruning of trees 1
Grass cutting 1
Literature from Environmental Awareness 1
WEEE collection 1
Setting up of a Film Club  1
Painting of road bollards & kerbs    1
Grass seed 1
Community garden planning  1
Estate road sign 1
Assistance from Estate Management 1

Since January 2012, a number of ongoing initiatives have been brought under the SCS such as:

Community Cleanups
National Spring Clean
Tidy Towns support
Beautiful South Dublin County awards

As a result of a joint study on Carbon/Social Credits - Developing Sustainable communities in the Dublin Region commissioned by the Dublin Regional Authority a further development of the Social Credits System was launched in Adamstown Community School, the Lucan Adamstown Time Bank. Five Educate Together schools in the Lucan Adamstown area have come together to form the Lucan Adamstown Time Bank. This is the first step in establishing a community wide Time Bank. Time banking is a means of exchange where time is the currency. Members of the Time Bank can earn credits by volunteering, sharing their skills and giving their time. For every hour members ‘deposit’ in a time bank, they gain a time credit which they can spend at a time bank event. Everyone’s time is equal.. Time banks are just systems of exchange and can be used in many ways.

Tidy Towns - Over a hundred people attended the Tidy Towns Public Meeting held in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday 16th February.  As a result of enquiries received since the event, a local Tidy Towns meeting was held in Clondalkin on 6th March and in the Griffeen Valley Educate Together school, Lucan, on Wednesday 7th March. The Clondalkin Tidy Towns group was formed following the meeting in the Civic Offices and they are now playing an active role in the community clean ups and plan to enter the Tidy Towns competition. The Council has provided clean up materials to the group under the Social Credits system. The Council will continue to liaise with the group to identify supports required and prioritise actions if possible.

In addition  local Tidy Towns meetings have  been organised for

There is a wide range of supports available from the different Council departments at local level. In many cases this support is not recorded and at the moment is not quantifiable on an all Council basis.

One of the benefits of the Social Credit System is that it gives the Council a facility through which to channel these supports thereby giving the community a single point of contact and the Council a comprehensive record of all supports given and accessed. This then allows the Council to ensure that there are sufficient resources available and that they are distributed appropriately to communities. 

The Social Credit System allows us to streamline the way the Council supports communities to achieve a greater value for the deployment of resources for both the Council and communities. This is critical in a time of diminishing resources.

It is important to note that the Social Credit System does not carry a pool of resources but acts as a portal through which communities can access Council services and facilities. Most significantly the services accessed directly meet the needs of communities.