Local Government

The A-Z of Irish Local Government is designed to give an overview of each of the key services, and the principal pieces of legislation underpinning the services currently being provided by Local Authorities in Ireland. The programmeis ideal for new entrants to a local authority or existing staff members who would like to expand their knowledge of their local authority. This includes indoor, outdoor, technical, and administrative staff. It is an excellent programme for helping staff prepare for interviews.  The A-Z of Irish Local Government programme is currently available as a series of ten live webinars that are tailored to an individual Local Authority.

As for previous elections, the Institute of Public Administration, in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is offering training for staff involved in the Elections for the 34th Dáil.

The Dáíl Election Workshops are designed for Returning Officers, Deputy Returning Officers, Count Supervisors and other relevant staff.

This Induction Training Programme is designed for newly elected and re-elected members and serves as an ideal opportunity for Councillors to refresh their knowledge and understanding of the role and functions of a Council and its Elected Members. The course content includes relevant examples of services, structures, budget details and reserved functions for each local authority.

The one-day course is designed to be bespoke to your local authority and will cover:

• key structures of the local authority
• key services provided by the local authority
• financing of revenue expenditure and the operation of the revenue budget
• key roles and responsibilities of Elected Members

The Micro Modules for Elected Members is a new series of webinars for elected members who need a more detailed understanding of the structures and services of their local authority. This series is ideally suited for newly elected members but would also benefit re-elected members who want to refresh their knowledge of local government structures and services. They are delivered online and can be scheduled to fit into one hour morning or lunchtime sessions. The content for each module is designed with relevant examples for each local authority and includes an opportunity for Questions and Answers.

Micro Modules available include:

• Local Authority Structures
• Roles and Responsibilities of Elected Members
• Local Authority Finance
• Local Authority Housing Services (Part One and Part Two)
• Local Authority Environment Services
• Local Authority Roads and Transportation Services
• Local Authority Water Services 

The responsibility for budget management and control is being cascaded down to individual Departments and Centres within Irish Local Government.  This creates a need for those with the responsibility for these areas and Elected Members to understand the financial processes, reports and documents that they are being asked to comment upon.

This half day Budget Management and Control for Local Government course is designed to provide the support needed by detailing the system of preparing budgets, the process by which actual expenditure is calculated and the control system used whereby actual and budgetary figures are compared to produce ‘variances’.  The process of analysing variances, for the purpose of explaining under or over spending is a key aspect of this course, in the same way that is the main means of effecting budgetary control in Local Government.

Commercial Rates Law is a one day online course that is for staff working within the Irish Local Government Sector who are dealing with the process of collecting commercial rates.

Debt Management Units have been established in Irish Local Authorities to deal with many areas of debt management including debts associated with commercial rates, housing rents and housing loans. The focus of this course centres specifically on the area of commercial rates law.

Courtroom Skills is a one-day intensive training course that is ideal for anyone who may be expected to give evidence in court in a professional capacity. Participants will learn about effective courtroom presentation and communication skills. Particular focus is placed on confidence building and assertive communication. 

Debt Collection Techniques is for staff working in Debt Management Units within the Irish Local Government Sector.

Debt Management Units have been established in Irish Local Authorities to deal with many areas of debt management including debts associated with commercial rates, housing rents and housing loans. The focus of this course centres on how staff working in these units can develop techniques to better handle and deal with the process of debt collection.

The Social Housing Fundamentals course is designed for newly appointed (technical and non-technical) staff in Local Authorities (Grades 3-6) and Approved Housing Bodies who provide social housing services.  It will provide participants with an overview of key elements of housing policy, the social housing market and housing services.  This is a one day online course and can also be delivered as bespoke course within an Irish Local Authority.

Scenarios and Roleplay Training for Housing Practitioners is a one day programme for Official Visitors to a person/s in the person/s home. This includes Local Authority Officers, Officials and Inspectors that must have access to the persons home for official reasons.