Athlones local government boundaries to be reviewed

The issue of local government boundaries in Athlone has long been a contentious one between Westmeath and Roscommon county councils and now the town’s government boundary is to be subject to a review.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly announced today that he has appointed groups to review local government boundaries in Athlone, Waterford, Drogheda and Carlow.

The Athlone review is set to be complete by February 29 next year.

Minister Kelly said: “The main rationale for boundary alteration is to bring the administrative jurisdictions into line with the current settlement and development position and the reviews I have announced are clearly warranted given the significant overspill of population in each of these cases into another county.”

This process follows on from the previous announcements earlier this year in respect of the review of local government arrangements for both Cork and Galway city and county.

Outlining the benefits of boundary updates, the Minister added: “Bringing all of a town or metropolitan district within a single local authority area eliminates anomalies and distortions of divided administration, service provision, regulatory/enforcement responsibility and electoral representation, including problems such as competitive policies and practices between authorities in relation to planning, rating and charges, which can impact negatively on town centres.

'Consolidation of administrative responsibility can also strengthen the economic performance of the town or metropolitan district, both by eliminating the anomalies I have referred to and ensuring that there is a single authority working on its behalf.”

The committees will be convened shortly and will be tasked to review the local authority boundaries in the four instances involved.

The membership of the committees undertaking both Athlone and Drogheda reviews will comprise: Jack Keyes (former Cavan County Manager)(Chair); Joe Allen (former Principal, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government); and Ciaran Lynch (Limerick Institute of Technology [Thurles Campus] and former Chief Planner, Clare County Council).

A separate group will undertake the reviews for Carlow and Waterford.
The groups will be established under section 28 of the Local Government Act 1991, which precludes elected representatives from participating and will act independently. Minister Kelly stated that he was delighted that people of such strong calibre and experience of local government were willing to come forward on a ‘pro-bono’ basis and assist in settling administrative boundaries for these areas.

In accordance with sections 32 and 33 of the Local Government Act 1991, the committees will be required to carry out a review of the boundaries between the respective counties, and city and county in the case of Waterford, having regard to the environs of the urban areas  in question located in another county.

They will make such recommendations with respect to the boundary, and any consequential recommendations with respect to the area of the Municipal, Borough or Metropolitan District that they consider to be necessary in the interests of effective and convenient local government and prepare a written report for the Minister of that review and its recommendations.

The full terms of reference for the groups will be available on the Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government’s website: www.environ.ie