The Big Interview

Richard Shakespeare’s ‘back-to-basics’ plan for the capital after Dublin’s winter of discontent

New Dublin City Council boss says he wants to break down the silos that stymie a thriving capital

Richard Shakespeare, the new chief executive of Dublin City Council: ‘I’ll focus initially on the basics and then we’ll look at the bigger stuff.’ Picture: Fergal Phillips

Richard Shakespeare is clear that he has no democratic mandate.

But at his disposal are close to 6,000 staff across 520 services at Dublin City Council with a €4.2 billion budget over the next three years.

Those are significant resources for an unelected, ministerially appointed mandarin whose job it is to make the city function – be it through traffic management, street cleaning or housing its citizens.

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