Council must lead way in promoting remote working - Senator

Measures for remote working must be factored into future development plans for Kildare, Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has said.

Raising the issue in the Seanad, the politician said that local authorities need to re-imagine how people will live and work post-Covid.

Senator O’Loughlin said: “We have all learned many lessons over the last 12 months about how we live our lives, including within our own 5 km.

“Our priorities have changed. The closeness of family is acutely important. There is an ongoing process in many of our counties, not least Kildare, regarding county development plans.”

Representing the Government in the Seanad, Senator Regina Doherty said the future probably lies somewhere in the middle of the road between people having access to the office and being able to work from home to enhance their lifestyles.

Permanent

Senator O’Loughlin said authorities should be looking at ways to making remote working more permanent.

She explained: “No more would people have to get up as early as 6am or 7am to drive to railway stations or to clog up the roads and no more would they have to get on overcrowded and overpriced trains or drop very young children to childminders at that unearthly hour of the morning.

“We can look at remote working in such a way as to allow people to live in their own settlements, villages and towns.

“People should be able to build houses close to family members.”