Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, TD has announced the establishment of a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee.
Membership of the Committee includes: Gerry Kearney, former Secretary General in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs who will act as Chairman; Joe Beirne, former Director of Services, Mayo County Council; Professor Gary Murphy, Head of the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University; Peter McCann, former Principal Officer in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government; and Marian Vickers, Chief Executive, Northside Partnership Dublin.
The Committee will review and make recommendations on local electoral area boundaries in the context of the results of census 2011 and the Action Programme for Effective Local Government published on October 16 2012. The Minister has asked the committee to report to him as soon as possible and in any event no later than May 31 2013.
According to Minster Hogan, the review will have a specific goal of achieving a much better balance and consistency in representational ratios, while taking particular account of factors such as the location of towns in the new municipal governance arrangement. The terms of reference for the review also ensure that there will be adequate representational and governance provision in lower population counties.
In carrying out its work, the committee must have regard to the Action Programme for Effective Local Government and in particular the proposals for a new municipal district structure for local government in counties outside Dublin. The recommendations on local electoral areas will provide the basis for the configuration of municipal districts. The Committee will also have regard to the decision of Government to merge the councils of Limerick City and Limerick County, North Tipperary and South Tipperary and Waterford City and Waterford County and make recommendations accordingly.