Bishopsgrove Project scoops Excellence in Local Government Award

Cork City Council’s Housing Directorate last night garnered a prestigious Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Award for its Bishopgrove Supported Student Accommodation Project.  This project provides accommodation for at-risk young people who wish to enter third level education, and is run by the same team that oversee the Cork Foyer project in Blackpool.

The project won in the Local Authority Innovation category, and this award marks the second year running that the Housing Directorate has won in this category, having last year achieved the honour for its work on the Competitive Dialogue procurement process.

Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Mick Finn congratulated the team involved, saying “I know a number of young people supported in Bishopsgrove and how it has helped transform their lives. The award recognises the difference this service is making so congrats to all the staff involved. We need more of these types of services.”

Bishopsgrove Supported Student Accommodation acts as a sister project to the unique Cork City Council internationally accredited Foyer Project for homeless young people aged 18-25. The complex comprises of 39 high quality single en-suite accommodation units, a purpose built office with car parking facilities and private gated grounds, locate close to Cork Institute of Technology and the National Learning Network.  In its first 12 months of operation, Bishopsgrove received 69 applications. 51 young people have benefited from the service, with 90% maintaining their education or training course.

Cork City Council was shortlisted in three of the sixteen categories in the Excellence in Local Government Awards 2018.  Cork City Council’s Environment and Recreation Directorate was shortlisted for the ‘Sustainable Canteen’, a project that involved the replacement of all single-use and disposable food containers with sustainable reusable alternatives in canteens and kitchenettes in the City Council’s main buildings.  The Corporate and External Affairs Directorate was nominated for the Lord Mayor’s Civic and Community & Voluntary Awards under the Best practice in Citizen Engagement category.

The Excellence in Local Government Awards recognise best practice in local government and are held in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.