Council: Now is the time to ACT
A range of measures have been unveiled to help towns across Cork to recover from the financial impact of Covid-19.
Cork County Council’s project ACT, or Activating County Towns, will see newly formed town teams working on individual plans for 23 towns designed to stimulate and support the economy.
Project ACT is being run across Cork County Council’s eight municipal districts with the support of elected members, and will see the creation of multi-sectoral teams with a targeted focus on rebuilding the economy and community life in their areas.
A fund worth €6 million has been committed to support community, festival, events and town enhancement works. This will be used to build upon the remarkable community resilience that has been sustained since restrictions were introduced in mid-March.
In preparation for the phased return of business and community life, the town teams have been working to introduce specific enhanced physical distancing and pedestrian friendly zones including additional footpath space, some changes to traffic flow and outdoor supports for businesses requiring socially distanced queueing.
Mayor of Cork Cllr Ian Doyle welcomed the initiative: “Cork County Council will work closely with communities and businesses as we manage our way out of the current crisis. Our message is simple. Cork County Council will walk with you on every step of the road to recovery.
“Activating our county towns will reward the civic pride that has resulted in stronger communities, and an optimism that this strength will see us through. I would like to commend all the council staff who are working tirelessly in each of the 23 towns, and to those who continue to provide the emergency support needed to deal with Covid-19.”
Project ACT will also see funding released through a mix of capital investment and business supports designed to help stimulate the Cork economy during the phased lifting of the Covid-19 lockdown. The council hopes that this will also prime the economy for future growth.
A full list of the topline actions being undertaken by Cork County Council will be available for the public to view at corkcoco.ie.