First day on the job for new Laois County Council chief executive

Laois has a new chief executive this week, as Laois County Council chief Michael Rainey stepped into his new role at his first monthly council meeting on November 25.

Having lived in Ballintubbert, Laois for 24 years, Mr Rainey worked for 18 years in Laois County Council where he was the housing officer for Laois. He has spent the past five years in Carlow County Council rising further through the ranks to become a director of services and interim chief executive. 

Housing will remain one of his top focuses now that he is back in Laois and in the top job, as he told councillors who welcomed him at the meeting.

“Thank you, It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be in this role. I thank the members for ratifying me. I look forward to developing a close and proactive working relationship with members and with businesses.”

He thanked the acting CEO Simon Walton, as well as his two immediate predecessors, John Mulholland and Peter Carey. 

“There is a lot of responsibility on me to deliver for Laois. I’ll be putting my energy and commitment to that,” Mr Rainey said.

He listed three priorities he has set himself.

“Laois has performed exceptionally well in housing and I want to continue that, and to broaden it to include the delivery of more affordable and private housing.

“Another key area is vacancy and dereliction. I want us to make a coordinated effort to rejuvenate our towns and villages, and bring back those vacancies to use.

“There are plenty of funding sources, including the Urban regeneration funds, Clár and others. It behoves us as a local authority to ensure we are getting more than our fair share. And that we then spend it well, effectively and efficiently.

“My third focus is on economic development, in partnership with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. We’ll be challenging them to deliver so we can bring in more jobs to the county, which will in itself have an impact on developing towns and villages, particularly on the west side of the county. 

“I am looking forward to working with you all, and I am confident of the support of elected members. We will really improve the quality of life in Laois.  Laois is in a very strong position and it behoves us to move forward,” he said.

The Cathaoirleach Cllr Padraig Fleming welcomed Mr Rainey back.

“He is no stranger to us, having been housing officer here. He always has a nice smile but there is plenty of steel behind it, that’s a positive statement. I know the experience you gained in Laois will make you a progressive chief executive working for the people of Laois, I wish you well,” Cllr Fleming said.

Over the last 24 years, Mr. Rainey has worked across three local authorities including Laois County Council, Kildare County Council and most recently Carlow County Council where he has been both Director of Services and Interim Chief Executive during the last five years.

"I started with Laois County Council in 2001 and over the following 18 years I was lucky to work in nearly every functional area of local government, including nine years as Housing Officer before being appointed Director of Service in Laois County Council with responsibility for Planning and Housing. In December 2019, I took up the position of Director of Service with Carlow County Council with responsibility for Planning, Economic Development, Regeneration, Corporate Services, HR, ICT and Carlow Town Manager.

“I am very grateful to the Cathaoirleach and Elected Members of Laois County Council for approving the appointment and I look forward to working in partnership with them”, he continued.

“A thriving Laois County Council has significant positive implications for the County but also for the Midlands, and I look forward to developing a close and proactive working relationship with the Elected Members, staff of the local authority and community and business stakeholders over the coming years.”

“I wish to acknowledge and thank my colleague, Simon Walton, who has served as Interim Chief Executive since May 2024 for his excellent stewardship, and to especially acknowledge the huge contribution to County Laois of my predecessors John
Mulholland and Peter Carey before that.”

Over the coming months, Mr. Rainey says he intends to reach out to all the key business, community, sectoral stakeholders to ensure that the Council is delivering quality services that meet the needs of the customer and to hear about opportunity areas for further development. There are also several key priority areas that he will be focusing on.

“Laois has outperformed other local authorities in the delivery of social housing over recent years and this is something that will continue under my leadership and I will be placing an increased focus in affordable and other housing delivery pipelines to ensure there is a sustainable housing delivery model across the County”, he notes.

“Another key focus area will be Regeneration, I believe a lot can be achieved through ambitious plan-making and securing the highestlevels of government investment through URDF, RRDF, Town and Village, Clar, ORIS and other funding streams. It is critical that vacant and derelict properties are brought back into use, that public realms are attractive and the communities across Laois’towns and villages feel supported.”

Mr. Rainey highlights the success that Laois County Council has had with the J17 National Enterprise Park and believes that this is only the start of unlocking the economic potential of the County.

“The aim for me will be to work in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to bring investment into the County and to support the existing strong and vibrant SME sector.” Michael also wants to see a new
tourism strategy that reflects the importance of tourism and maximises the potential of the recreational, social and cultural assets within Laois.

Climate change is also on his agenda.

“The recent adoption by Laois County Council of a Climate Action Plan and the proactive work of Laois County Council to date shows the potential of local government in this area. The Climate Action Plan provides a strategic framework as to how we as a sector can deliver on our climate change actions, the Council now needs to meet that challenge” he says.

Regarding challenges that the Council faces in the achievement of its goals, Mr. Rainey highlights several issues. “As an employer, the Council needs to continue to attract and retain the right talent to deliver on the Council’s ambitious plans over the coming years and it is also important that the Council keeps pace with the digital agenda and increase the range of services that are available online.”

Despite the challenges, Mr. Rainey is optimistic about Laois going forward.

“As someone who has lived in the County for the last 24 years, I know the strengths of the County, its citizens and the exceptional quality of life on offer. It is my mission to improve that quality of life through the many services provided by Laois County Council but particularly in the areas of housing provision, employment opportunity and community development.”