Celebrating ten years of Louth Public Participation Network (PPN)

Louth County Council are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Public Participation Network (PPN), the officially designated networking and representational body of 599 community groups in County Louth.

Nationally, PPNs are this year marking a decade since they were first launched in 2014 and throughout the week, 17th June – 21st June, Louth PPN have been honouring ten years of service provided to communities across the county.

Louth PPN represents and supports the voice of 599 groups, which at the very least represents 2,995 people engaged in community activity within theLouth PPN family. Economically, community volunteers contribute greatly to the fabric of Irish society and, at a conservative valuation of €15 per hour, the contribution of volunteers among PPN members is estimated at €1,401,660 per year (based on 3 hours of work per week per community group and most contribute more).

The Public Participation Network project was established under The Local Government Reform Act 2014 and from 2016 to date has grown to 20,772 member groups (as of 01/06/24), echoing local growth. This is a monumental representation of community activity across the state and has been led by PPNs in providing empowerment and voice at a local level.

Louth PPN wish to acknowledge and thank all those groups, agencies and individuals who have supported the project across the ten years and, looking forward, encourage you and others to join in continuing the journey to greater inclusion, empowerment and representation of community interests through your PPN.