What Wicklow County Council does

Wicklow County Council is the statutory local government authority for County Wicklow, Ireland, established in 1916 and operating as a publicly funded administrative body accountable to elected councillors and central government. The council delivers the full spectrum of mandatory local authority services across its jurisdiction, including housing assistance (HAP/RAS schemes, social housing allocation, homelessness services, traveller accommodation), planning and development control, environmental management (five recycling centres, waste regulation, water/wastewater coordination with Irish Water), roads and transport (public lighting, parking enforcement, road closures), library services (14 branch libraries plus a mobile library fleet on 8 routes serving 32 rural locations), community development, arts and heritage, electoral registration, and motor tax/licensing administration. The council operates through five municipal district offices in Arklow, Baltinglass, Bray, Greystones, and Wicklow, with headquarters at County Buildings, Whitegates, Wicklow Town.

The council runs a unified digital service platform anchored on wicklow.ie, comprising the ePlan online planning application system, Spydus library catalogue and e-resources, ArcGIS-powered Wicklow Map Zone, fines.ie parking fine payments, licences.ie dog licensing, My CoCo Payments for commercial rates, an Online Consultation Hub for civic engagement, and an SMS road-closure alert system. It is GDPR-compliant with OneTrust consent management and is the data controller for citizen-facing services across the county.

Revenue is sourced from a mix of central government grants (the largest line, including the €50M Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund announced for June 2026), Local Property Tax allocations, commercial rates on business properties, and transactional service fees (motor tax, planning applications, parking fines, dog licences). Pricing for parking fines is unit-based at €40 (standard), €60 (non-display of tax disc), and €150 (disabled bay violation), with a 50% surcharge after 28 days and legal proceedings after 56 days. The council employs between 501 and 1,000 staff under Chief Executive Emer O'Gorman and partners with Irish Water, Approved Housing Bodies, Local Enterprise Office Wicklow, the Wicklow County Campus Centre of Excellence, and Wicklow Naturally to extend service delivery beyond core statutory functions.

Name

Wicklow County Council

Legal name

Wicklow County Council

Website

https://wicklow.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Wicklow County Council is the statutory local government authority for County Wicklow, Ireland, delivering housing, planning, environmental, roads, library, and community services to roughly 145,000 residents across five municipal districts, funded primarily by central government grants and local taxation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wicklow

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Local Property Tax (LPT): Revenue from residential property tax levied on homeowners in County Wicklow as part of national LPT framework.
2. Commercial Rates: Commercial rates charged to businesses operating in the county based on property valuation.
3. Government Grants and Funding: Central government funding including the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (€50M announced), and various departmental grants for services including housing, roads, environment, and community development.
4. Service Fees: Fees collected for various council services including motor tax, planning applications, parking fines, dog licenses, and various permits.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wicklow County Council delivers statutory local government services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of County Wicklow, Ireland. Core offerings include housing assistance (HAP, RAS, social housing), planning and development control, waste management and recycling, road maintenance, library services across 14 branches plus a mobile service, environmental protection, community development, and civic administration. The council operates through five municipal districts and a digital platform for online transactions and public engagement.

Product overview

Wicklow County Council operates a comprehensive digital service platform providing citizen-facing government services. The portfolio includes online planning services (ePlan for planning applications), library services via Spydus (online catalogue, eResources, renewals), motor tax and commercial rates payments, interactive mapping via ArcGIS, and parking fine management. Core municipal services span housing assistance (HAP/RAS schemes), environmental management (recycling centres, waste management), road infrastructure, and community services. The council provides 14 branch libraries plus a mobile library serving 32 locations. Business support is delivered through Local Enterprise Office Wicklow. All services are delivered via a unified web portal with domain wicklow.ie.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Planning System (ePlan) Digital planning application search and tracking system allowing residents and applicants to find and monitor planning applications within County Wicklow.
• Online Library Services Digital library catalogue access, account management, and e-resources including eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, and online renewals for library members.
• Motor Tax Online Services Online motor tax payment and vehicle registration management services for residents and vehicle owners in County Wicklow.
• Wicklow Map Zone (Interactive Mapping) Interactive geographic information system mapping site for accessing spatial data and council geographic resources across County Wicklow.
• Online Consultation Hub Digital platform for public consultations, submissions, and civic engagement with council initiatives and plans.
• Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP) Social housing support scheme enabling tenants to source private rented accommodation with council financial assistance.
• Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) Long-term rental accommodation scheme connecting landlords with tenants requiring social housing support.
• Public Lighting Fault Reporting Online system for residents to report public lighting faults and infrastructure issues across the county.
• Parking Fine Payment System Online payment system for traffic and parking fines across Arklow, Bray, Greystones and Wicklow town.
• My CoCo Payments Online payment service for commercial rates and council invoices for business customers.
• Local Enterprise Office Wicklow Business support services including mentoring, training, and financial assistance for small local enterprises in County Wicklow.
• Mobile Library Service Mobile library operating 8 routes serving 32 locations throughout rural County Wicklow.
• SMS Text Alert System Text message alert service for road closures and traffic updates to keep residents informed.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• Irish WatercoreOthersNational water utility responsible for water and wastewater services in Ireland. Wicklow County Council works with Irish Water for provision of public water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure. Contact: 1850 278 278
• Local Enterprise Office WicklowcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLEO Wicklow provides business supports, training, and financial assistance to small businesses in County Wicklow. Operates as a joint initiative between Wicklow County Council and the Department of Enterprise.
• Wicklow County Campus Centre of ExcellencekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty Campus Centre of Excellence provides business support, training facilities, and enterprise development services in collaboration with Wicklow County Council.
• Approved Housing BodieskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHBs partner with Wicklow County Council for delivery of social housing through Approved Housing Body programmes including Part V, Part 8, and Section 179A turnkey acquisitions.
• Wicklow NaturallysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal food and drink championing organisation 'Wicklow Naturally' promotes food and drink produced in County Wicklow, supported by Wicklow County Council through the Food & Beverage strategy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fingal County Council: Dublin commuter county council with similar growth and housing-demand pressures as Wicklow; directly comparable in delivering social housing, planning controls, and community services to a high-demand suburban/rural mix.
• Kildare County Council: Adjacent Leinster county council with similar Dublin-commuter housing pressures, road infrastructure duties, and rural service obligations; directly comparable on housing, planning, and municipal district structures.
• Galway County Council: Another Irish county council providing housing, planning, roads, environment, library, and community services within a single county jurisdiction; operates under the same statutory framework and funding model as Wicklow.
• Meath County Council: Mid-East region county council delivering the same statutory local authority services to a comparable population and geography; relevant peer on housing supply, planning approvals, and roads management.
• Wexford County Council: Leinster county council operating the same statutory services across housing, planning, environment, libraries, and roads; comparable in scale, governance, and revenue model to Wicklow.
• Dublin City Council: Largest Irish local authority providing the same statutory housing, planning, roads, environment, library, and community services as Wicklow County Council but serving the Dublin capital region; directly comparable as a peer Irish local government body.
• Cork County Council: County-level Irish local authority delivering the identical suite of statutory services (housing, planning, roads, environment, libraries) across County Cork; one of the most directly comparable peers in scale and function.
• Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council: Dublin suburban county council with similar affluent commuter profile, library branch network, and recycling operations; directly comparable on local government service delivery and digital platforms.

Others

• Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: National government department that sets policy and provides the central grant funding Wicklow County Council depends on for housing, roads, and community programmes; upstream ecosystem participant rather than competitor.
• Irish Water (Uisce Éireann): National water utility that operates as Wicklow's infrastructure partner for water and wastewater services; adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wicklowcoco
• Facebookfacebook.com/WicklowCountyCouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/Wicklowcoco

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wicklow County Council