Subdivisions of Ireland

Subdivisions Of Ireland

Local government functions in the Republic of Ireland are mostly exercised by thirty-four local authorities, termed County or City Councils and eighty Town and Borough Councils. These eighty town councils form a second tier of local government operating in smaller towns and cities and are subsidiary to the relevant county council. The principal decision-making body in each of the thirty-four local authorities is composed of the members of the council, elected by universal franchise in local elections every five years. Irish Local Authorities are the closest and most accessible form of Government to people in their local community. Many of the authorities' statutory functions are, however, the responsibility of Ministerially appointed career officials termed city or county managers.

The area under the jurisdiction of each of the authorities corresponds to the area of each of the 34 Local administrative unit (LAU 1) Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) areas for Eurostat purposes. The competencies of the city and county councils include planning, transport infrastructure, sanitary services, public safety (notably fire services) and the provision of public libraries.

Local government in the state is governed by Local Government Acts, the most recent of which – the Local Government Act 2001 – established this two-tier structure. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 is the founding document of the present system. The Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland (1999) provided for constitutional recognition of local government for the first time in Ireland.

On 16 October 2012, a reorganisation of local government was proposed by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, including the abolition of all town councils and the merger of some county councils. Some of the reforms are planned to come into effect in 2014, to coincide with the next scheduled local elections.