The deadline for entries is Friday, February 24th 2012, with the Award Ceremony taking place on April 19th, 2012 at the Burlington Hotel.

Entries can be done online, ensuring that participation is both environmentally friendly and time efficient. More information on the online entry process can be found at www.greenawards.ie

As requested, please see below a list of other waste collection companies who operate in your area if you wish to look for other quotes.

Waste collection companies

-          BID calls on Government to bring forward Budget Day 2012 to stimulate consumer spending -

Dublin City Business Improvement District (BID) today welcomed the figures released by the Central Statistics Office which showed that the volume of retail sales increased by 2.1% in December 2011 when compared with November 2011.

Figures collated by Dublin City BID show that footfall in Dublin City Centre in December was up 8.5% on 2010, almost reaching the levels last seen in 2009.

Commenting on the figures, Richard Guiney, CEO of Dublin City BID said: ‘The figures published by the CSO are welcome news, however it is important to note the effect of a strong performance in certain sectors – namely the motor trade – which have had the effect of skewing the overall picture somewhat.

The footfall figures we collated from the BID area footfall cameras in Dublin City Centre, which takes in the commercial heart of the city show that footfall was up 8.5% on 2010. Feedback from our members suggests that sales exceeded expectations for the Christmas period and that this was across both the retail and leisure sectors. The department stores in the BID area performed particularly well and this is backed up by the CSO stats, which showed an increase of 8.1%.

We put this down to a strong spirit of cooperation between businesses in the City to market Dublin City Centre as a great place to shop and spend time. For example our Dublin At Christmas campaign, which was put together by a marketing committee made up of our members and stakeholders including Dublin Bus, Luas and the Dublin City Council, brought Christmas lights to a total of 30 streets this year and introduced highly successful initiatives such as the Shop and Drop programme which received a strong response from consumers.

However, there is no denying that more needs to be done to stimulate consumer confidence and get people spending again. We would urge the Government to review the VAT increase at the first available opportunity – we need Government action to protect and grow these sales and footfall figures and to protect jobs.

We also call on the Government to bring forward the 2012 Budget to mid-November.   Budget Day being in mid December has a profoundly negative effect on pre-Christmas spending levels as consumers are less likely to spend until they know the effect of the Budget on their pay packets. For the past couple of years, Christmas spending levels have only really begun to increase after the Budget is announced.  This is a practical step the Government could take and it would produce a tangible benefit to retailers all over country.’

Further congratualtions to new nominees :
Christiana Righi of Taste of Emilia, Lower Liffey Street, Dublin – nominated in Ireland’s ’10 Great Women Chefs’.

Anne McKiernan of Brook’s Hotel, Drury Street – nominated in Ireland’s ’10 Great Hotel Managers’.

The new entries to Bridgestones 100 Best Restaurants in Ireland 2012: Coppinger Row & Taste of Emilia.

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Times and locations will be confirmed via email in the weeks prior to each meeting. To ensure you are on the Dublin City BID mailing list please email Gerard Farrell at gerard.farrell@dublincitybid.ie or Kathryn Ryan at kathryn.ryan@dublincitybid.ie with your details.

Our latest Area Action Group Meetings took place:

Monday 23rd January, 10am – Henry Street Area Meeting in King 7 Restaurant, 122 Capel Street. Minutes available here.

Tuesday 24th January, 10am – Abbey Street/Talbot Street Area Meeting in the Abbey Theatre. Minutes available here.

Tuesday 31st January, 10am – Grafton Street / Sth. William Street Area Meeting – upstairs in Kitchen Restaurant, South Anne Street. Minutes available here.

Dates of the next Area Action Meetings will be published in due course.

We invite all members to attend these meetings and please confirm your attendance to Gerard Farrell or Kathryn Ryan. You can  also let us know if you are interesting in hosting a meeting.

We have drafted a submission to DCC on the matter for inclusion in their “Your City Your Space” Public Realm Document.

The Your City Your Space Public Realm report is Dublin City Council’s draft report on the future of the public realm in the city centre, covering everything from roads, footpaths, public squares, street furniture and parks. They have put this report out for consultation and are welcoming any submissions by January 25th to yourspace@dublincity.ie

The report can be viewed at
http://www.dublincity.ie/Planning/Documents/Draft_PRS_291111_web.pdf

Our submission can be viewed on our website here
http://www.dublincitybid.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Your-City-Your-Space-submission1.pdf

We welcome any additions or input from our members so please let us know if you wish to add anything.

The report can be viewed here.

We will be hosting a meeting for local businesses in our offices on Monday 16th January at 10am if you would like to attend and discuss your experiences. Please RSVP to gerard.farrell@dublincitybid.ie if you can attend.

Mary Portas of “Queen of Shops” fame, who was hired by the Prime Minister and UK Government to undertake this six month review in May, has recommended that “Town Teams” be empowered to take on more responsibilities and become “Super-BIDs” and that Landlords should invest in their Business Improvement District.

The report comprises of case studies and a summary of 28 recommendations all aimed at reviving Town Centres and High Streets.

Read the full list of recommendations here and let us know your own thoughts. Do you agree with her recommendations?