COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

MOTIONS NO.9

MOTIONS: Councillor N. Fennell

That this Committee agrees that a working group/ task force is set up with the remit of making Balgaddy a safe place to live that includes the input of local residents,  public representatives and other key stakeholders. Residents in Balgaddy are being subjected to a barrage of anti-social behaviour, intimidation and fear. Local representatives do not have a forum where they can feed this into as they are excluded from the Balgaddy working group.

REPORT:

Due to recent legislative changes, a new Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) is being established in SDCC under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024.

Under this new framework, Safety Partnerships may, in consultation with An Garda Síochána, establish area-based Neighbourhood Community Safety Forums as needed. These forums are intended to deepen engagement between the LCSP, public service bodies, the local authority, and neighbourhood communities. Their primary purpose is to provide a platform for discussing local safety concerns, identifying issues specific to individual areas, and developing collaborative solutions.

Local Neighbourhood Community Safety Forums are designed to operate at a more localised level than the broader LCSP, allowing for targeted and effective responses to the unique challenges of each community. They may also make recommendations to the LCSP on matters of local concern, ensuring that neighbourhood voices are reflected in wider community safety planning and decision-making.

It is intended that, during their first year, LCSPs will review the existing local community safety landscape, including Local Policing Fora, Community Safety Fora, and similar structures, to assess whether they continue to meet current community safety needs.  Existing supports and structures for Local Policing Fora should remain in place during this transition.

However, the commencement of regulations for the formal establishment of Local Neighbourhood Community Safety Fora has been deferred to allow LCSPs to be fully established and operational first. Therefore, there is currently no mechanism to establish a new local forum until the LCSP is in place and its working groups have been formed.