2014 Reforms
On 28 June 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan announced that Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council would be merged into a single local authority. The proposed merger would come into effect following the 2014 local elections. The new entity would be headed by a directly elected Mayor, with a five-year term. The Minister also said that he would not rule out other local authority mergers and that the proposal for a directly elected Mayor for Dublin was being re-examined.
On 26 July 2011, the proposed merger of North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council was announced.
On 16 October 2012, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government published Putting People First, an "action plan for effective local government". The document set forward a series of proposed changes which it is intended to bring into place in time for the 2014 local elections:
- A reduction in the number of local authorities from 114 to 31, including the abolition of all town councils (a reduction of 83 councils).
- A reduction in the number of councillors from 1,627 to 950 (a reduction of 677 seats).
- All counties to be divided into "municipal districts", with county councillors also being district councillors.
- Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council to merge.
- Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council to merge.
- North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council to merge.
- Councillors to no longer have the power to overturn planning decisions.
- Local services to be funded by a property tax.
- Existing local authorities in the Dublin area to be retained, but a plebiscite to be held in 2014 on the introduction of a directly-elected mayor.
It is proposed that the civic and ceremonial status of existing cities, boroughs and larger towns be retained where they are merged with counties. Those municipal districts that include existing cities or boroughs merged would be "city districts" or "borough districts". They would continue to have mayors as would those districts containing county towns. In all other councils the equivalent office would be known as Chair/Cathaoirleach or Leader. Each municipal district would be issued with a new statutory charter setting out its powers alongside any historic charters that already exist.
Read more about this topic: Subdivisions Of Ireland
Famous quotes containing the word reforms:
“We shall one day learn to supersede politics by education. What we call our root-and-branch reforms of slavery, war, gambling, intemperance, is only medicating the symptoms. We must begin higher up, namely, in Education.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)