Liam Conneally: Galway County Council Leadership

Infrastructure delivery requires seamless coordination between public policy and local authority execution.

We explore the transition from professional planning to senior local government leadership, focusing on how the Planning and Development Act 2024 empowers long-term development. We discuss the necessity of front-loading pre-planning stages, the strategic importance of 10-year plans, and how to balance infrastructure, economic growth, and public trust.

Our guest is Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council. With a distinguished career in planning, he offers a unique perspective on the intersection of strategic management and physical planning. He joins us as a respected colleague to share insights on how the sector can navigate the pressures of modern local government.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

  • Career path into senior leadership
  • Implementing Planning and Development Act
  • Front loading pre planning processes
  • Balancing municipal district needs
  • Future of 10 year plans

QUOTES

  • Planners make recommendations for decision makers to make decisions. Those of us who transition into that decision making space will realise the importance in making a decision. – Liam Conneally
  • The integrity of the planning system, the role of the regulator in that system is important. From that point of view, the Irish planning system, is probably one of the most open and transparent systems in the world. – Liam Conneally
  • We care for, in particular the spoken language, because we know in Galway that in our county and also in Galway City, over 50% of the daily Irish speakers live in our jurisdictions. – Liam Conneally

GUEST DETAILS

Liam Conneally is the Chief Executive of Galway County Council and Chair of the County and City Management Associations Planning and Land Use Committee. He brings decades of experience to his role as the first local authority chief executive to rise directly from the planning profession. His expertise includes capital delivery, organizational management, and public service innovation.

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KEYWORDS

#PlanningReform #UrbanStrategy #LocalGovernance #InfrastructureDelivery #StrategicPlanning