LOCAL AND REGIONAL STRUCTURES IN IRELAND
Ireland is a unitary state composed of boroughs, towns, cities and regions.
Local level: 5 boroughs and 80 towns
Local authorities
The borough council or town council is elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term. The council appoints the mayor and is responsible for making the municipality's development plans.
The borough clerk or town clerk is the executive head of the council. He/she is a civil servant and is responsible for the municipality's administration.
The mayor is elected every year by councillors from among the town or borough council. He/she chairs the council.
Local competences
. Road construction and maintenance
. Housing
. Leisure facilities
. Urban planning
Note
The town and borough councils do not cover the entire country's territory. Only 80 towns in total have their own town or borough council, which account for about 14% of the national population.
Intermediary level: 5 cities and 29 counties
Intermediary authorities
The city council or county council is elected by direct universal suffrage for five years, using proportional representation. The number of councillors varies and is set by national legislation. The council is assisted by local policy committees, made up of both local elected council members and representatives from local interest groups, such as business and environmental groups, as well as from the community and voluntary sector.
The elected council exercises what are known as reserved functions, which include the adoption of local authority main policies. These include major policy documents, council plans and strategies, as well as local laws and the annual budget. The elected council also oversees the administration of these policies.
The city manager or county manager heads the administration and has a number of responsibilities related to the internal management of the local authority and to the implementation of policy. In particular, he/she exercises and oversees executive functions, such as staff management, public agreements, revenue collection, planning permissions, and housing allocations.
The chairperson or mayor of the council is the ceremonial head of the local authority. He/she is elected each year by and from among the council's members. The mayor or chairperson chairs council meetings and represents the city or county.
Intermediary competences
. Urban planning
. Road infrastructures
. Water supply and treatment
. Waste management and environment
. Housing
. Fire services and civil defence
. Libraries
. Local arts, culture and leisure facilities
. Coordination of public services across different agencies operating locally
Note
The intermediary authority level in Ireland is composed of five city councils and 29 county councils. These are considered as the primary units of local government in Ireland and, between them, cover the entire area and population of the country.
Each county has a least one council, although Dublin County, for example, has a total of three councils, on top of a city council.
Regional level: 8 regional authorities and 2 regional assemblies
Regional authorities
The regional authority is composed of members nominated from the county and city councils within the region.
The regional authority is assisted by an operational committee composed of members belonging to local authorities, as well as county and city managers, and other public agency officials operating locally.
The chairperson is elected from among the regional assembly (see below). He/she heads the regional authority and presides over its meetings.
Regional authority competences
. Coordination of public services
. Supervision and monitoring of the implementation of EU structural and cohesion funds
Regional assembly
The regional assembly is composed of members nominated from the regional authorities.
The assembly is assisted by an operational committee composed of regional authority members, as well as county and city managers, and other public agency officials operating locally.
The chairperson is elected by and from among the regional assembly. He/she heads the assembly and presides over regional authority meetings.
Regional assembly competences
. Coordination of public services
. Supervision and monitoring of the implementation of EU structural and cohesion funds
. Advising on the national development plan's regional dimension
. Managing of regional operational programmes under the national development plan
