6. Implementation and Reporting

6.1. Planning for implementation

This Climate Action Plan will be implemented by Galway County Council. A new governance structure was put in place in 2022 including a Climate Action Steering Group, Climate Action Team and Energy Team. There are 28 members of the various teams. The role of this Climate Action Steering Group is to mainstream climate action into the activities of Galway County Council.

A Climate Action Unit was established in 2023. This team includes a Climate Action Coordinator, Climate Action Officer, Community Climate Action Officer and Energy Officer. The role of this team is to monitor the implementation of the actions of the Climate Action Plan and to coordinate the reporting and evaluation of the Plan, following its approval by the Elected Members.  The Unit will also be the point of contact for the public to learn about climate action in the County.

Galway County Council will work collaboratively and in partnership with a range of key stakeholders to support the delivery of this Plan. These stakeholders include but are not limited to the following – the neighbouring local authorities, the Local Authority Services National Training Group, Regional Assembly, Local Government Management Agency, City and County Management Agency, Public Participation Network, Age Friendly Ireland and Comhairle na nÓg. These partnerships can provide opportunities for collaboration on projects, shared learnings, technical support and leveraging of funding opportunities during the implementation of actions in the Plan.

It is also clear that climate change is a transboundary challenge; it does not stop at political and geographical borders. As such, a regional approach has been agreed by the local authorities in the Atlantic Seaboard North CARO, whereby they can collaborate closely on the implementation of the Climate Action Plans. 

Following approval of the Plan, an Implementation Plan/Summary will be developed for each action, which will set out in detail how the action will be delivered including noting the responsible department and timescales. Galway County Council will align the timing of internal implementation reporting intervals with that of sectoral progress reporting requirements.  

6.2. Funding and Partnerships 

To lead by example and drive the transition to a climate neutral society, by Galway County Council will need access to adequate funding for climate action projects towards achieving its 2030 and 2050 targets. Local authorities can access various types of funding such as government grants, European funds, private sector investment and community co-financing. It is recognised that while new climate action targeted funding calls may become available in the future, already established funding bodies will introduce or increase the level of funding streams to climate action focused categories. Galway County Council will continue to actively pursue new and existing funding opportunities from both European and National bodies that are aligned with its climate action objectives.

Partnerships are also a key ingredient towards realising low-carbon solutions for the sector. The private sector is already playing a role towards achieving the National Climate Objective and this type of collaboration can enhance the capabilities of the sector even further in achieving reductions in Ireland’s greenhouse gases by 51% by 2030 and becoming climate neutral by no later than 2050. There are also benefits for the local government sector in partnering with the Third Level sector. The Third Level sector can provide research and development expertise to help local authorities and implement innovative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. These partnerships can also help local authorities access funding opportunities for climate action projects and initiatives. Galway County Council will encourage and facilitate collaboration with the private sector and Third Level sector where possible.

6.3. Monitoring and Reporting  

Performance by Galway County Council on the delivery of energy efficiency and emission reductions relating to the Council’s infrastructure and assets, as prescribed by national climate obligations, will continue to be tracked through the established Monitoring and Reporting (M&R) system managed by the Sustainable Authority of Ireland (SEAI). 

For actions outside of this, one of the reporting avenues that by Galway County engages with to communicate progress on the delivery of actions is through Sectoral Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This informs the performance of the local government sector on climate action. Galway County Council will report annually on their performance on climate action by way of KPIs (as outlined in Section 6.2) to inform the performance of the local government sector on climate action, as part of the local government DECA 2030 Strategy.

A key consideration for the local government sector on this strengthened role on climate action is accountability, and in particular the ability to track, measure and report on progress in delivering effective climate action at both local authority and sectoral levels. In this regard, KPIs will continue to play a significant role.  

The CAROs along with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) collect data on an annual basis relating to a range of themes including: 

• Climate Action Resources; 
• Climate Action Training for local authority staff and elected members; 
• Actions delivered;  
• Enterprise support in area of climate action;  
• Energy efficiency; 
• Emission reductions; 
• Active travel measures; and 
• Severe weather response. 

KPIs will continue to be added as necessary by the sector and by Galway County Council will contribute relevant information as required, to assist in highlighting the progress of the local government sector on climate action.   

To ensure that delivery is timely, the implementation of this Plan will be monitored via an in-house tracking system which will enable departments and sections to report progress made against the actions they are leading on. The reporting system will be managed by the Climate Action Team and all information reported will be collated by the team for the purposes of evaluation and reporting.  

Galway County Council will in accordance with part 3(w) of the Local Authority Climate Action Charter, report quarterly/annually to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Environment on progress on climate action at local level as part of the delivery of the national climate objective. Progress on all actions will be reported via a reporting tool developed by CARO.