Cork Business Association (CBA) hosted a key event in the city today, bringing together local political leaders, key stakeholders, and business owners/ managers to announce a series of exciting new initiatives to make Cork the ‘safest, cleanest and most welcoming city’.
The CBA, a voluntary organisation supporting businesses in Cork for the past 67 years, recently launched a five-year strategic plan structured around five dynamic working groups, or “pillars,” each with clear objectives to drive positive change in the city and its businesses. Among these pillars, “Safe and Clean” is a primary focus for the organisation.
CBA President Aaron Mansworth said. “We are all aware of the challenges facing our city and all cities so we are committed to working with key stakeholders and taking concrete measures to ensure Cork remains the safest, cleanest, and most welcoming city.”
Mansworth acknowledged the increased Garda presence in Cork City since the summer, a result of the CBA’s lobbying efforts.
“This has already led to a 50% reduction in begging. While reports of retail theft have risen, this is due to improved data collection from our retail committee, which is helping Gardaí secure additional resources. We are now pushing for these resources to continue and grow.”
“We have also raised, in ministerial meetings, the need to reduce the time Gardaí spend in court, as this prevents them from being on our streets.”
Over the summer, the CBA applied for funding from the Department of Justice for Community Safety Wardens. These trained personnel would work closely with residents, businesses, the Gardaí and the most vulnerable in society to enhance safety, prevent crime, and build community cohesion.
Mansworth said, “While we await a decision on the funding—expected in October—we are optimistic about deploying these wardens by the end of Q1 next year. This will give us critical resources in the city at key times. This is not to replace gardai, but to provide additional resources.”
On the sanitation front, CBA is in regular discussions with Cork City Council about increasing the frequency of power washing, advocating for Cork City to secure the budget for additional street cleaning teams, similar to the additional resources recently given to Dublin City Council.
At today’s event, the newly formed CBA Safe and Clean Working Group was officially launched. Chaired by Clara O’Neill of Total Planning Solutions, the group will advocate for initiatives that ensure high standards of safety and cleanliness in Cork. Key members include business leaders such as Kate Neville of Neville’s Jewellers, Kevin Cotrell from the Old Oak, and Lisa McCarthy from Spectrum Display, among others in the CBA executive.
“This group will manage several new initiatives to foster a further sense of safety and community pride. Our new Cork Cleaning and Greening Initiative, in partnership with Cork City Council, will focus on deep cleansing, planting, painting and revitalising streetscapes, encouraging civic pride street by street, starting this spring.”
The Leave a Light On initiative was also launched, a Cork City Night-time Economy initiative, supported and facilitated by CBA. “Starting in October and running through January, we are encouraging businesses to leave at least one light on in the evening, creating a safer, more inviting atmosphere in our city. This initiative is about safety but also about fostering community spirit, and with the use of energy-efficient LED lights, it’s both sustainable and cost-effective. The CBA will provide a subsidy of €250 to each participating business to offset any extra costs,” said Mansworth.
The CBA is also launching a Christmas Window Display Competition in the coming days, and are looking at other playful initiatives in partnership with Let’s Play Cork, aimed at attracting families into the city during the festive season. Moreover, they’re exploring a Vacant Window Proposal.
“Another exciting project we are working on with Cork’s Night-time Economy Advisor, Fiona Collins, is Coffee House Lates. This initiative invites coffee shops to stay open late for one evening in November, to demonstrate how they can be transformed into vibrant social hubs and offer an alternative evening out.,” said Mansworth.
At the event, Inspector James Hallahan, An Garda Siochana, spoke about theft and incident reporting and gave tips to businesses as to how businesses and the guards can interact in a more meaningful way. Tony O’Sullivan, Head of Cleansing in Cork City Council, gave a presentation and overview of how the operational cleaning of the city works. And Jamie Furey from Lodge Security introduced a mechanism for which smaller independent businesses can avail of a joint/cooperative security initiative which , if there is demand, the CBA is happy to facilitate.
Aaron Mansworth concluded by saying, “Safe and clean is unfortunately an issue prevalent in all major cities and when we benchmark against other cities, Cork is doing quite well in areas. In the last couple of weeks we were re awarded the Purple Flag – this award is given on the basis of a number of criterion with safety and cleanliness being key. Together, we have the power to make a significant difference and be proactive on this journey towards achieving the highest standards of safety and cleanliness for Cork City.”