How We Are Governed- Local

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

National Government has responsibility for the entire country.

It is engaged with areas of national importance, such as security,
the budget, national roads, the education and health systems, etc.

Local Government is government at local level.

It is necessary for the service of local communities, providing such facilities as local water supply, sewerage systems, refuse collections, etc. Local Government is made up of both elected members (councillors) and employed members (the Manager and staff of the Local Authority).
                                                        
The Impact of Local Government

  1. Housing and Building
  2. Road Transport / Safety
  3. Water Schemes/ Sewerage
  4. Development Incentives and Controls
  5. Environmental Protection
  6. Recreation and Amenities
  7. Agriculture, Education, Health and Welfare
  8. Miscellaneous Services

The Role of The Local Councillor
  • To carry out the wishes of the people who elect them.
  • To draw up policies which affect people in their local areas e.g. housing, water supply etc.
  • To organise certain matters of importance to the local community.
  • To control the financial affairs of the Local Authority.
  • To represent the Local Authority on Health Boards, VECs and Harbour Boards.
  • To represent and promote the interests of the local community.
There are over one thousand five hundred elected local councillors in the country.  They share the responsibilities for finance, policy and development with the Manager.  They serve in directing policies and actions.

The When, Who  and the How of Local Government Elections


When: 
Local Government Elections must be held every 5 years


Who can vote?
Every person over 18 years whose name is included in the electoral register is entitled to vote in the local area in which s/he lives.  It is not necessary to be an Irish citizen to vote in a Local Election. 

Who can be elected?
Persons over 18 years of age who are registered voters are eligible for election to Local Government except persons who are Government Ministers, Ministers of State, Members of the Gardai and the Defence Forces and certain groups of public employees. The grounds for disqualification include failure to pay money due to a local authority and certain court convictions and prison sentences.
 
Nomination of Candidates: 
Candidates must be nominated one month before polling day.  A person may be nominated to stand in more than one area. 


How:
For the purposes of Local Government Elections, the county is divided into a number of electoral areas and councillors are elected for each area.  People who live in towns may vote in two separate elections, one for the county council and one for the town authority. There are 114 directly elected local authorities in the country containing 1,627 seats divided into 268 electoral areas.

There are 4 categories:
  • City Councils                          5
  • County Councils                   29
  • Borough Councils                   5
  • Town Councils                      75                           
  •  Total   =                              114    


County Councils:  Dublin has 3, Tipperary has 2 and each of the other 24 counties have one, making a total of 29.

City Councils: Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Borough Councils: Clonmel, Drogheda, Kilkenny, Sligo and Wexford.

Town Councils: All other towns, for example Athlone, Carlow, Dundalk, etc., have town councils. (Formerly, the bigger towns had Urban District Councils and the smaller towns, Town Commissioners).


The Powers and Functions of Local Authorities
City Councils, County Councils and Borough Councils have the maximum number of responsibilities of all Irish local authorities.  Since 1976 these functions have been classified into eight programme groups. In contrast, Town Commissioners have responsibility only for the maintenance of houses, allotments, meals for school children, parks, licensing cinemas and markets, etc.
          EIGHT     PROGRAMME      GROUPS