Fingal County Council launches the Fingal Digital Strategy 2020 – 2023

Fingal County Council has launched the Fingal Digital Strategy 2020 – 2023 at County Hall, Swords today (Friday 19 June).

The Strategy aims to encourage and support citizens, businesses and visitors to reap the full rewards of a digitally enabled society through a series of objectives and actions over three years.

It showcases the many benefits digital can make to our health, happiness and wellbeing, from supporting the economy and enabling remote working, to enhancing access to education, learning and social connectivity.

The plan contains an initial 48 actions that are on-going or planned within the Council, covering four key action areas – Digital Infrastructure, Digital Community, Digital Business and Digital Government.

The Digital Strategy is described as a living document that will change overtime and adapt with an ever-changing digital society; as such the actions of this plan will be continually monitored and updated by the Digital Fingal Oversight Group working across all Council departments.

The Strategy was adopted by the Elected members in February, and its content was informed by a public consultation process conducted over eight weeks in 2019. 

The Digital Strategy Consultation involved three main methods of engagement – the publication of an Issues Paper and online consultation; various consultation workshops with strategic stakeholder groups; and the publication of an online survey to obtain input from a wider audience.

Speaking at the launch, Mayor of Fingal Cllr Eoghan O’Brien said: “I am delighted to launch the Fingal Digital Strategy which sets out a range of actions and measures to support citizens and businesses to get the most out of digital in Fingal.

“In light of Covid 19, access to the internet and digital technologies is vitally important to everyday life.

“The Fingal Digital Strategy aims to support communities to get online and stay connected.”

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Fingal County Council is committed to driving innovation and delivering quality public services that support communities.

“Digital is not about technology, it’s about changing the way people live, connect and work.

“This strategy, therefore, is about how we will deliver and enhance our public services, infrastructure, public spaces, economy and jobs for Fingal, now and for years to come.

“This strategy will support both national and EU digital agendas, the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan, and accelerate other local plans and strategies through the use of digital technologies.”

Fingal County Council Digital Strategy Manager Aishling Hyland said: “The Digital Strategy is an ambitious plan that aims to capitalize on digital infrastructure and enhance the way we live, work, experience and do businesses in Fingal.

“Core initiatives of the Strategy include delivering free public wifi in our town centres, developing smart town and village districts to trial and test IOT technologies and developing initiatives that help to combat digital poverty and support communities.”

To read the Fingal County Council Digital Strategy 2020 – 2023, visit https://www.fingal.ie/sites/default/files/2020-06/fingal-digital-strategy-2020-2023.pdf . For further information please contact: [email protected]