A pool of money worth €60,000 was set aside for a basketball and tennis court in Kilnamanagh but this was rejected
€105,000 worth in ‘€300k Have Your Say’ projects not delivered
Over €100,000 worth of ‘€300k Have Your Say’ projects were not delivered in Tallaght and Clondalkin, including a €60,000 basketball court and a €20,000 welcome sign.
€105,000 worth of funding from the initiative is connected to four projects in South Dublin that are not progressing – three of these are in Clondalkin and one is in Tallaght.
‘€300k Have Your Say’ is a participatory budgeting initiative which has been run by South Dublin County Council since 2017, who became the first local authority to run such an initiative.
The scheme allows residents to develop project proposals for their local area and then vote on shortlisted ones to be funded up to the value of €300,000.
A pool of money worth €60,000 was set aside for a basketball and tennis court in Kilnamanagh but local community groups rejected the winning project, according to the local authority.
The local authority stated that the money is still available for the basketball and tennis court despite the lack of progression.
Three projects in Clondalkin worth €45,000 were also not delivered, including a €20,000 ‘Welcome to Clondalkin’ hedge sign that did not progress because the council found no suitable location to place the sign.
Bottle banks and recycling facilties in Cherrywood with €20,000 connected to the project was unwanted, as well as a €5,000 fund to provide an acoustic piano for Rathcoole Community Centre.
The council expressed “disappointment” at the failure to deliver these four projects.
A total of 62 projects were voted on by 42,342 citizens across the county from 2017 to 2023.
45 of those projects have been delivered to date, including Christmas lights in several villages, park upgrades and Irish-language signs in Clondalkin.
12 projects are ongoing, such as the creation of a pedestrian link between the Round Tower and Corkagh Park, and signage for Tallaght waterways.
The council noted their “frustration at the delays” in the delivery of these remaining projects.
The local authority previously won the Chambers Ireland Local Government Award in Citizen Engagement for the initiative and was shortlisted for a European Innovation in Politics Award in the Democracy category.
SDCC feel that the initiative’s value was clear in three ways despite six figures of funding falling through the cracks.
The extent of the citizen engagement achieved, delivery of projects on the ground, and greater awareness of the local authority and its role in community development were all cited as successes of the initiative.
SDCC feel that the scheme was a “resounding success” and that this is reflected by the 45 successful projects and stated that the “variety and significant impact that the initiative had in local communities” is clear from these completions.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
