2019 Cork boundary change
The Cork Local Government Review was a 2015 review carried out by the Cork Local Government Committee of the operation of Cork County Council and Cork City Council in Ireland. Its report recommends merging them into a single "super-council" with effect from the 2019 local elections.[1]
Committee
The committee's terms of reference were specified by Alan Kelly, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, under the Local Government Act 2001. It could recommend either merging the two councils into a single local government area for County Cork, or else adjusting the boundary between Cork city and the county. The five committee members were:
- Alf Smiddy, formerly with Beamish and Crawford brewery, who chaired the committee
- Tom Curran, former county manager with Kerry County Council
- John Lucey, a Senior Counsel
- Dermot Keogh, history professor at University College Cork (UCC)
- Theresa Reidy, politics lecturer at UCC
After a public consultation, its report was submitted in September 2015. The majority report, by Smiddy, Curran, and Lucey, recommends a single council, with more powers than existing county councils have under the 2001 act and the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The super-council would have three subunits, one being a "metropolitan district" around Cork city, the others respectively covering the north and east of the county and the south and west of it. Keogh and Reidy submitted a minority report arguing for an expansion of Cork City Council's area. Both proposals agreed on expanding the metropolitan district / city council area to include the satellite towns of Ballincollig, Midleton, Carrigaline, and Cobh.
Response
In general, politicians from the county agreed with the majority report, while politicians and civic groups from the city favoured retaining a separate city council.[1] Cork chamber of commerce, which straddles both council areas, favours amalgamation.[1] Eighteen former Lord Mayors of the city signed a letter opposing any merger with the county.[1][2] Simon Coveney, a government minister from near Carrigaline, advised voters to read the full report before passing judgment.[3]
References
Sources
- Cork Local Government Committee (September 2015). "Local Government Arrangements in Cork" (PDF). Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
Citations
- ^ a b c d "Merger of Cork councils to be in place for 2019 elections". Evening Echo. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ Roche, Barry (4 August 2015). "Cork city must retain power to self-govern, say 18 former mayors". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Cork merger report in full". Evening Echo. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
External links
- Cork Local Government Review official website
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