"I am extremely likely to cut the number of councillors and local authorities" Hogan / FG on local government changes

[PaddyJoe]

Boundary changes to be announced today.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan is to publish the report of the boundary commission that was set up to redraw local electoral areas on foot of reforms that he introduced.
The number of county councillors is to be increased, particularly along the east coast, but town councils are being abolished.

The changes mean a cut in the overall number of councillors from 1,600 to 950, mainly as a result of the town councils being scrapped.This will be achieved through the abolition of all 744 town councillors, while the number of city and county councillors will be increased from 883 to a maximum of 950.
The bulk of this increase will be in Dublin and the commuter belt around the capital, where the population has grown.
Some councils will also be merged, such as in Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-29307363.html

[PaddyJoe]

The Boundary Commission report is out:
http://www.boundarycommittee.ie/index.htm

[Dr. FIVE]

Three new Councillors here in Galway. Haven't we suffered enough!

[PaddyJoe]

Cork seems to have been sliced and diced all over the shop and has gone from 10 electoral areas to 8. Number of councillors has gone from 48 to 55 though.

[Ogiol]

Dont see the point in increasing the members of county councils without giving them more powers, as they had before the '77 FFAIL reform. County managers have all the real decision power over budget anyway. Utterly shambolic, unless someone can tell me that more powers are to be transfered to county councils.