COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTOWN/NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

MOTION NO. 11

MOTION: Councillor Derren Ó Brádaigh

This Committee agrees that the decision to hand over the two community centres in North Clondalkin to SDC Partnership be deferred and that no changes should take place before there is real consultation and discussion with the community, users of the centres and local organisations including a full briefing of local councillors. Information needs to be provided on what activities the Partnership proposes to carry out in the centres and the impact this may have on other groups, organisations, services, and the wider community in North Clondalkin

REPORT:

The Council has engaged in recent discussions with various local community stakeholders in North Clondalkin regarding future management of the Council owned community centres at Neilstown and Rowlagh.  We are committed to having a management structure in place in both centres that provides appropriate governance and supports the needs of local residents by ensuring the facilities are available to local community groups.

The reducing number of local community volunteers/representatives involved in the committees of each centre over the years has led to the burden falling increasingly on a limited number of remaining local representatives but crucially without the depth of involvement to provide necessary governance, transparency or oversight.  The Council recognises its ultimate responsibility to ensure appropriate structures and governance for centres that we provided for local community support and use.  We have unsuccessfully tried to address these matters with the remaining members of both committees over recent years and we now need to do this without further delay.  The centres will not be in a position to reopen without proper management structures in place.

As current circumstances have prevented in-depth and formal community consultation to support development of additional local community management capacity, immediate interim measures needed to allow both centres to reopen when Covid-related restrictions allow.  To achieve this, the Council will provide South Dublin County Partnership (SDCP) with a two-year management licence for both centres.

This will:

• Provide immediate structures for governance, management, maintenance and operation of the centres
• Safeguard continued community service delivery and community use of both centres including with additional community support/development programmes committed to by SDCP
• Allow time for a thorough community consultation to identify emerging and new local community representatives committed to participating in the long-term management of the centres
• Facilitate a capacity building programme in an operational group with the Council and SDCP for existing and emerging representatives to develop and enhance their management and governance abilities
• Provide a clear route to return to a community management structure for the centres after the two-year interim management period with regular updates provided to local Councillors on progress in this regard to local Councillors.

The Council is particularly conscious and appreciative of the long-standing roles played by existing community representatives in both centres and also welcomes the emergence of some new representatives – we support and welcome appropriate roles for them in the new arrangements.

A recent briefing of the five local Councillors outlined the circumstances fully and also confirmed that SDCP are committed to complementing existing community services in the North Clondalkin area by delivering additional local development and support programmes including:

• Local Employment services through employment mediators
• A Microsoft supported workforce development project
• Health and Wellbeing programmes including Healthy Food Made Easy
• Heads up programmes for young adults
• Coombe Hospital clinics
• Counselling / services