Community co-ordinator position left vacant for the last year will not be filled

Dublin City Council said they will not fill a community co-ordinator position, established five years ago, which has been left vacant since last year.

The Building Community Resilience project, primarily funded by the council, had been set up for the publication of a report – also called Building Community Resilience – which examined the severe problems caused by crime, antisocial behaviour and drug dealing in communities across the south-west of Dublin City.

The role of Building Community Resilience co-ordinator was established in 2020 as part of the project to help tackle drug-related criminality and anti-social behaviour in areas such as Ballyfermot, Drimnagh, Crumlin, Walkinstown and Chapelizod.

A review of the BCR project in 2022 concluded that it had “made considerable progress over the last 18 months” but recommended that DCC “should commit to funding BCR for at least three years to give this promising project a chance to make a real difference to the lives of the people living in the affected communities”.

However, the council have said that the co-ordinator role, left vacant since October 2024, will not be filled.

This was in response to a question from Cllr Darragh Moriarty (Lab) at the South-Central Area committee meeting on July 16.

Cllr Moriarty asked the council to explain why the post has not been advertised since it was vacated last year as it “urgently needs to be filled”.

“The role serves a vital community coordination function in promoting and addressing community safety issues across the South-Central Area,” he said.

Bernard Kelly, executive manager for the South Central Area, said that the council “acknowledges the contribution of the Building Community Resilience Co-ordinator, however DCC has not actioned replacing the role at this point in time due to the likelihood that BCR functions will be replicated within the new Local Community Safety Partnership structure”.

This Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) is a new government initiative which brings together community members, the voluntary and community sector, statutory services, and local councillors to work together in identifying and tackling community safety issues locally.

They are due to be rolled out across the country after pilot schemes in Dublin’s North Inner City, Longford and Waterford, and are part of the framework that will replace Joint Policing Committees (JPCs).

Dublin City Council held a recruitment drive, which closed May 2025 to fill the new position of Community Safety Coordinator.

The role “will support and enable the establishment and operation of the Local Community Safety Partnerships in each of the five Local Electoral Areas of Dublin City Council”, according to the job description posted by DCC.

“The Community Safety Coordinator will work to bring together a diverse group of agencies and residents and representational groups to engage in joint planning and co-ordination of services for the community.”

There is no indication yet when this role will be filled.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.