Cork in ‘virgin territory’ with proposed merger of councils

Cork is heading in to "virgin territory" with a new report recommending the creation of a unitary local government authority and a merger of the city and county councils.

Once combined, the new Cork Council will have a population of 519,032, making it Ireland's second biggest council, just behind Dublin City Council which has a population of 527,612.

It is expected that the new authority will be in place by the 2019 local elections.

At a press conference in the Silversprings Moran Hotel yesterday Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly said there is potential to achieve much more than a boundary extension or simple merger of two existing councils in terms of an opportunity to develop a new model of local government in Cork.

Recommendations in the report of the Cork Local Government Committee include the amalgamation of both councils instead of expanding the City Council’s boundary.

Cork City Council would be abolished and replaced with a Metropolitan Cork division to govern an expanded city and suburban region of some 290,000 people, with a Cork North and East Municipal Division and a Cork West and South Municipal Division each feeding into the unified authority.

Whilst they would be part of a new central authority some powers would be devolved to these divisions.

The report also states that special provisions should be enacted to preserve the historic civic status of Cork city, including the retention of the role of Lord Mayor.

Minister Kelly says the amalgamation offers exciting opportunities for Cork and its people.

“This is a critical moment for Cork. The report acknowledges that not everybody will agree with that proposal. Every member of the committee agreed that doing nothing and maintaining the status quo was simply not an option. This is virgin territory. It is an exciting development.”

The Minister noted that resolving the long standing boundary issue in Cork comes down to a choice between a unified authority for all of Cork or transferring a substantial component of the county council to the city council, while maintaining two separate structures.

“With the latter, there would have to be a compensation system involving very large annual mandatory transfer payments over many years together with a transfer of a substantial number of staff which could be complex, divisive and ultimately unsatisfactory for both authorities.”

The proposal follows a comprehensive review conducted by a team led by former Beamish & Crawford brewery boss, Alf Smiddy.

Launching the report, Mr Smiddy said he believed the recommendation “offers a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity for Cork and its citizens.”

“At the heart of our proposal is a council with a strong city metropolitan division at its core that will be the powerhouse and driver of development of the Cork region.

“Pooling resources and operating as single council promoting ‘One Cork’ and speaking with one voice will enable the new authority to bring together resources at a regional level so as to put Cork in a much stronger position both nationally and internationally.”

Mr Smiddy and Minister Kelly both refuted suggestions from the media that councillor numbers would be cut under the proposals. Mr Smiddy also maintained that job losses were unlikely and if anything the impetus would be to employ new people in the merged super council.

Committee members Alf Smiddy, Senior Counsel John Lucey and former Kerry County Manager Tom Curran have supported the report.

A dissenting report by UCC academics Professor Dermot Keogh and Dr Theresa Reidy favours retention of the City and County Council structures with a boundary extension for the city.