Municipal district (Ireland)
A municipal district is a second-level local government area in Ireland which came into being on 1 June 2014, ten days after the local elections.[1][2] A district associated with a city or borough is termed a metropolitan district or borough district respectively. A local electoral area (often abbreviated as LEA) is an electoral area for local government purposes. In general each municipal district corresponds to a single LEA; however some districts are split into multiple LEAs. In addition, the three cities and three counties which have no district-level subunits are nevertheless split into multiple LEAs. The names and extents of municipal districts and LEAs are defined by statutory instrument in terms of lower-level units called electoral divisions (EDs).
Under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, most first-level areas (counties and cities) are subdivided into municipal districts. All elections use the single transferable vote. Each LEA returns six to ten councillors (except Cork City's, which return four to seven, and where a separate review took place in 2015). Those elected in each LEA serve on the county or city council, and simultaneously on the district council if applicable.
Boundaries
Boundaries are determined by statutory instrument of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.[3] The minister must first establish an independent boundary committee, but need not accept its advice. A boundary committee has been required since 1991 for administrative areas,[4] and since 1994 for electoral areas.[5][3] The 2012–13 Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee considered both administrative areas (municipal districts, though not counties/cities) and electoral areas.[3] In 2015, separate committees were set up to consider adjustments to county and municipal boundaries passing through each of four urban areas: Athlone, Carlow, Drogheda, and Waterford.[6] The programme of the Fine Gael–led government formed after the 2016 election promises to consider reducing the size (i.e. number of seats) of LEAs.[7]
Areas
- Notes
- ↑ Y indicates the area is a municipal district. (Those designated as "metropolitan district" or "borough district" are footnoted.)
- ↑ Y indicates the area is a local electoral area.
- ↑ The number of councillors returned by the LEA and/or the number on the district council. All district councillors are ex officio members of the county/city council.
- ↑ "S.I. No. 428/2008 – City of Cork Local Electoral Areas Order 2008". Irish Statute Book. Attorney-General of Ireland. 7 November 2008.
- ↑ The "Municipal District of Kilkenny City" is not specified to be a Borough District; however, it includes the designation "City" in its name.
- 1 2 Metropolitan district
- 1 2 3 4 Borough district.
- 1 2 There are separate municipal districts named "Athlone" in counties Roscommon and Westmeath, each named after the town on the border of the two counties.
See also
- Local government in the Republic of Ireland
- Counties of Ireland
- Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland
Sources
- Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government. Local Elections 2009: Results, Transfer of Votes and Statistics (PDF). 1: City and County Councils. Dublin: Stationery Office. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee (30 May 2013). "Report" (PDF). Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- Irish Statute Book:
- Electoral Act, 1992
- Local Government Reform Act 2014
- Local Electoral Areas Orders:
- S.I. 428/2008 (for Cork City)
- S.I. 40/2014 to 70/2014 (one S.I. for each city and county except Cork City)
References
- ↑ "Local Government Reform". Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ↑ "S.I. No. 215/2014 - Local Government Reform Act 2014 (2014 Establishment Day) Order 2014.". Irish Statute Book. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- 1 2 3 Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee (30 May 2013). "2.2. Statutory role of the Committee" (PDF). Report 2013 (PDF) . Dublin: Stationery Office. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-1-4064-2767-7. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ↑ "Local Government Act, 1991". Irish Statute Book. Part V: Local Authority Boundary Alteration. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ↑ "Local Government Act, 1994, Section 24". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ↑ "Minister Alan Kelly Appoints Groups to Review Local Government Boundaries in Drogheda/Athlone/Waterford/Carlow". News. Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ↑ "A Programme for a Partnership Government" (PDF). MerrionStreet.ie. May 2016. p. 154. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
We will also consider: [...] Reducing the size of local electoral areas
External links
- Local Election Results, from electionsireland.org