New Duleek civic offices are opened to the public
LOCAL democracy had changed forever and Meath County Council was leading the way in bringing government to the people, the Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey said as he opened the new Civic Offices/One Stop Shop in Duleek last Friday.
The £1.3 million development is the first of five One Stop Shops to be created by MCC as part of its programme to decentralise public services and at the same time create a new interaction between the electorate and representives.
‘I want locally elected members to be making decisions and involved in policy and I want the community and sectional interest groups to be involved,’ the Minister told MCC _members, officials and local people involved in the creation of the 8,000 square foot building.
‘I believe there has to be greater interaction between local government and the community and One Stop Shops like this will facilitate maximum communication,’ the Minister went on, its pointing out that the new Centre would allow decisions on day to day matters to be made by the locally elected representatives of the Slane electoral area.
The services which will move from Council headquarters in Navan to the new Centre in Duleek and later to similar centres in Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Trim and Kells, include motor taxation, planning, roads, grant schemes, housing, dog licences and sanitary services.
The North Eastern Health Board will also provide out patient services at each of the new Centres and full public information access will be available for Social Welfare, Teagasc, Meath Leader, Fas and other services.
The Chairman of Meath County Council, Cllr. Hugh Gough said that as part of the enhancement of local government, the five Slane area councillors would hold a night meeting with full public access every month.
And he paid tribute to the designers of the building, architects Burke, Kennedy Doyle and Partners, the developer John Pentony of Jons Civil Engineering, Duleek and the builders John and Pat Woods, also from Duleek.