Tipperary County Council's new chairman sets out his top priorities for the year ahead

The top priority of Tipperary County Council’s new cathaoirleach over the next year will be to ensure the local authority meets its commitments to provide matching finance for community enterprise and economic development projects that secure government funding.

Fianna Fáil councillor Roger Kennedy from Camus, Cashel was elected unopposed as the council’s chairman at the annual meeting of the local authority at St Paul’s Community Hall in Clogheen last Friday.

He singled out community enterprise and economic development as two policy areas very close to his heart in his post-election speech. He said he hoped over the next 12 months to facilitate the ongoing development of both.

Cllr Kennedy pointed out that ensuring the council meets its commitments for matching funding for such developments will be a difficult task.

He indicated he would be seeking the support of all the council’s elected members in achieving this.

Cllr Kennedy also devoted part of his speech to the housing crisis that has dominated the council’s recent monthly meetings.

He defended the council’s social house building record pointing out that it has “more than fulfilled” its targets in this area and has always exceeded them.

He argued it was not Tipperary County Council's fault that social house building targets set for it were too low.

He noted the latest Census figures show Tipperary’s population has increased by 5.1% while house building increased by 2.3%. The gap between these figures will have to be closed.

Cllr Kennedy also spoke about the need to increase the income threshold for qualification for social housing in this county, a measure the council has lobbied central government about.

He also referred to the proposed new Tipperary County Development Plan councillors have contributed to and worked on over the past year. He believed the Plan has laid the ground work for tourism and agriculture to progress in the county and he pledged to work to ensure those sectors prosper.

Cllr Kennedy also used his post-election speech to thank those who worked on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic and the council’s staff for their work during the pandemic.

He also paid tribute to the county’s sports people for helping to lift the public’s spirits over the past two years and wished the Tipperary Minor Hurling team every success in the All-Ireland final on July 3.

The Cashel councillor was elected cathaoirleach under a Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael led voting pact agreed at the start of the council's five year term in 2019. He was proposed by Clonmel FF Cllr Siobhán Ambrose and seconded by Ardfinnan FF Cllr Micheál Anglim.

As she proposed Cllr Kennedy, Cllr Ambrose outlined how he was first elected to South Tipperary County Council in 2004 and chaired the Tipperary/Cahir/Cashel Municipal District in 2017.

He was a member of the council’s Housing Strategic Policy Committee and Planning & Emergency Services SPC. He represents the council on the Regional Health Forum and Tipperary Education & Training Board.

She pointed out that Cllr Kennedy has a huge interest in the GAA. He was a life long member of Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams GAA Club and former chairperson of West Tipperary GAA Board.

Roscrea Cllr Noel Coonan, who is a former Fine Gael TD, was elected unopposed as the council’s leas-cathaoirleach. He was proposed by Ballina FG Cllr Phyll Bugler and seconded by Clonmel FG Cllr John Fitzgerald.

Cllr Kennedy, whose wife Margaret and family were present at the annual meeting for his election, was congratulated by fellow councillors and Council CEO Joe MacGrath, who said he brought a “huge wealth of experience and knowledge” to the role.

Tributes were also paid to outgoing cathaoirleach Cllr Marie Murphy in whose home community of Clogheen the annual meeting took place. Mr MacGrath praised how she successfully chaired council meetings and many council workshops over Zoom during the Covid restrictions, which was not easy.

In her final address to the council as chairperson, Cllr Murphy recalled it was strange to think that last year’s agm in Borrisoleigh was a socially distanced meeting and it took until March this year for the council to get back to formal in-person meetings.

“There is no doubt that the past two years have been unprecedented in the history of the county and country. Every aspect of what we understood to be normal every day life changed and Tipperary County Council continued to be critical in sustaining its communities in those years,” she said.

She paid tribute to the vital role played by volunteers in communities throughout the county during the pandemic to ensure vulnerable people in their areas were supported.

She recalled the highlights of her busy year in office, which included welcoming their Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to Cahir and Cashel.

“It was an honour for me and I hope the benefits in terms of tourism will be felt in the Cahir and Cashel areas for years to come.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Ministers Simon Harris, Heather Humprhies and Dara O’Brien were among the senior government figures she welcomed to the county during her term.