Council to bump up staff levels in public realm

31 additional positions are expected to be made available across the public realm in South Dublin to meet the demand in the county.

Public realm works include town and village centre maintenance, park ranger service, tree maintenance and planting, as well as the upkeep of new facilities among other things.

The prospective new posts have been submitted for sanction to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and are anticipated to be rolled out on a phased basis over the next four years, if successful.

South Dublin County Council stated that “significant development across the county” has made it necessary to bump up the staff resources in the region to maintain new public realm areas.

Recent works in the region include enhancement schemes in local parks and villages such as Corkagh Park and Lucan Village, and the introduction of traffic calming measures in areas like Bawnogue.

The council have pumped millions into these works over the last few years and wish to up their numbers to match the added demand for maintenance they have created.

Outdoor staff numbers in the Public Realm section were already increased by 25 to 224 at the start of 2024 following a previous review of staffing requirements.

The most recent staffing review took place earlier this year as part of the Council’s Strategic Workforce Plan and led to their request for 31 new positions to be made available.

SDCC stated that they remain committed to maintaining high standards in the Public Realm.

The local authority noted that they will “continue to monitor service demands closely, bringing forward proposals as necessary, to ensure that the growth across the county is matched by sustainable service delivery.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.