The boundary between Cork city and County Cork, under the local jurisdiction of Cork City Council and Cork County Council respectively, was changed in mid 2019 when the Local Government Act 2018 came into force after the 2019 local elections, with the city area quadrupling in size. [1] [2] Its implementation followed the Cork Local Government Review, a 2015 review by the Cork Local Government Committee which recommended merging the two councils into a single "super-council". [3] The recommendation was unpopular within the city and in 2017, after a review, it was dropped in favour of extending the city boundary into territory of the county. [4] This alternative was not approved by county council, which meant the Fine Gael-led government was obliged to pass an Act of the Oireachtas to effect it.
Areas transferred from the county to the city are (clockwise from the south east): Rochestown, Douglas, Grange, Donnybrook, Frankfield, Cork Airport, Togher, Ballincollig, Kerry Pike, Tower, Blarney, Killeens, Ballyvolane, White's Cross, and Glanmire. [5]
Adjacent areas remaining in the county are (clockwise from the south east): Passage West, Carrigaline, Ballygarvan, Waterfall, Ballinora, Killumney, Ovens, Inniscarra, Cloghroe, Matehy, Monard, Knockraha, Glounthaune, and Little Island. [5]
Prior to the 2019 extension, the most recent previous extension of the boundary of the city council area was in 1965. [6] At the 2011 census, there were 119,230 people in the city proper and 79,352 in adjacent suburbs within the county. [7] Under the Local Government Act 1991, [8] [9] [n 1] the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government can by statutory instrument change the boundaries of local government areas including cities and counties, subject to a formal proposal from the relevant local authority and a report from a local boundary committee appointed to review the boundaries.
The committee's terms of reference were specified by minister Alan Kelly. [8] It could recommend either merging the two councils into a single local government area for County Cork, or else adjusting the boundary between Cork city and the county. The five committee members were: [12]
After a public consultation, its report was submitted in September 2015. The majority report, by Smiddy, Curran, and Lucey, recommends a single council, with more powers than existing county councils have under the 2001 act and the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The super-council would have three subunits called "divisions", one being a "metropolitan division" around Cork city, the others respectively covering the north and east of the county and the south and west of it. The divisions would be further divided into municipal districts as defined under the 2014 act.
Keogh and Reidy submitted a minority report arguing for retention of separate city and county councils, with a boundary adjustment increasing the area of the city council. The minority report interpreted the "metropolitan division" proposed in the majority report as nothing more than a municipal district with no budgetary powers.
The majority report recommended that the "metropolitan division" around the city should correspond to the existing Metropolitan Cork statistical area, with a population of 289,739, as far out as Ballinhassig, Minane Bridge, Cloyne, Midleton, Watergrasshill, and Dripsey. [13] It did not specify a boundary for the "metropolitan district" within the metropolitan division, but said all municipal district boundaries should be redrawn by an implementation committee. [14]
The minority report recommended that the city boundary be extended to the satellite towns of Ballincollig, Blarney, Carrigtwohill, and Carrigaline, but not Midleton or Cobh. It would have a population between 230,000 and 235,000, the precise boundary to be negotiated between the city and county councils. [15]
Description | Area (km2) | 2011 census |
---|---|---|
City council local government area | 40 | 119,230 |
Central Statistics Office census "city and suburbs" area | 165 | 198,582 |
"Cork Metropolitan Area" in city council's submission to the Review | c.235,000 | |
"Metropolitan Cork" for strategic regional planning | 834 | 289,739 |
"Study area" for the Cork Area Strategic Plan | 4,102 | 408,157 |
Combined city and county council local government areas | 7,505 | 519,032 |
In general, politicians from the county agreed with the majority report, while politicians and civic groups from the city favoured retaining a separate city council. [3] Cork South- Central TD Ciarán Lynch commissioned a poll of the constituency showing 59 percent support for boundary extension and 23 percent for amalgamation, which county mayor John Paul O’Shea criticised as a "biased survey". [16]
Eighteen former Lord Mayors of the city signed a letter opposing any merger with the county. [17] [3] [18] A specially convened meeting of the city council on 22 September 2015 resolved by 29 votes to none to seek a judicial review in the High Court of the proposal's constitutionality, and to write to the Taoiseach and minister demanding a halt to the process. [19] [20] The county council endorsed the majority report on 28 September 2015, with only Sinn Féin councillors opposed. [21]
Alan Kelly, the responsible minister, backed the majority report. [22] Simon Coveney, a government minister from near Carrigaline, advised voters to read the full report before passing judgment. [23] In the Dáil, Micheál Martin and Jonathan O'Brien opposed it while Kelly supported it. [24] In the Seanad, Paul Bradford opposed while junior minister Jimmy Deenihan replied that there were "obviously pros and cons". [25] Michael McCarthy, Labour TD for Cork South-West, and chair of the Dáil Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, invited the review committee members to address the Dáil committee. [26]
Cork chamber of commerce, which straddles both council areas, favours amalgamation. [3] The Cork branch of IBEC made a submission in favour of retaining separate councils but subsequently endorsed the majority report, denying this was a U-turn. [27] Cork Institute of Technology president Brendan Murphy backed the merger; UCC did not initially take a position, while defending the right of the UCC faculty on the committee to express a minority view. [28]
In a February 2016 debate before the general election, eight of nine Cork candidates were opposed to the merger, with Fine Gael's Dara Murphy saying "It has been too divisive. What we are left with now is the status quo, which is the worst of both worlds." [29]
UCC commissioned Tony Bovaird of the University of Birmingham to review both majority and minority reports. [30] Bovaird said the minority report was "much better substantiated", while Alf Smiddy dismissed Bovaird's review as "a continuation of an ongoing orchestrated saga from certain narrow quarters to frustrate the Government". [31]
Early in 2016, the Cork report was considered by the government's Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform, along with another recommending merging Galway City and County. [32] [33] After the 2016 election, Simon Coveney became Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in the Fine Gael–led government. In June, he announced that a new expert group would take "a fresh look" at the Cork question. [34] In September, he appointed an "expert advisory group" with detailed terms of reference including "having regard particularly to the review carried out by the Cork Local Government Review Committee and its report". [35] Unlike the original committee, the review group's terms referred to the city's "strategic role" as a "regional and national growth centre". [35] [36]
The group's members were: [35]
The group was originally expected to report in early 2017. [38] Its 130-page draft report was submitted in April, and in May 2017, Coveney returned it for revision of specified points. [36]
In June 2017, Coveney published the group's report (called the "Mackinnon Report" by media) and said he intended to implement it in time for the 2019 local elections. [4] [39] The report provided for the city boundary to be extended to include Little Island, Cork Airport, Ballincollig, Blarney, and Carrigtwohill, adding a population of over 100,000. [4] Under the plan, places further from the city would remain part of the county, including Cobh, Carrigaline, and Midleton, as well as Ringaskiddy, the centre of the Port of Cork. [4] The report gives parameters for compensation to be paid by the city to the county for the consequent reduction in its revenue. [40] [41] The revised proposal was welcomed by Micheál Martin but criticised by some county councillors. [4] The city council voted unanimously to accept it. [42] Barry Roche of The Irish Times wrote that the Mackinnon Report "has proven almost as divisive as its predecessor", except with the city and county councils' positions reversed. [43]
On 28 July 2017, Coveney appointed a three-person "Cork Local Government Implementation Oversight Group" (IOG). [44] Its terms of reference included planning and overseeing the implementation of the expert advisory group's report, but also adjusting the boundary delineation. [44] The IOG facilitated discussions between the chief executives of the two councils, who reached an agreement in December on a compromise whereby the city would be extended to include Ballincollig, Blarney, Glanmire, and Cork Airport, but not Little Island or Carrigtwohill. [45] [46] The cabinet accepted the IOG report on 13 December. [47] A county council meeting on 15 December 2017 voted 28–5 to reject the proposal, with Sinn Féin the only party to support it. A city council meeting on 18 December endorsed the IOG proposal. [48]
On 13 December 2017 two LEA Boundary Committees were established and tasked with drawing all LEA boundaries for the 2019 local election, except initially excluding Cork city and county. [49] The IOG finalised its boundary by 27 February 2018. [50] On 23 March 2018 Cork city and Cork county were added to the remit of the LEA Boundary Committees, using the IOG city–county boundary and keeping the current numbers of councillors. [51] Although county and city boundaries can be adjusted by statutory instrument under the Local Government Act 1991, this requires the consent of both adjoining local authorities; absent the consent of Cork County Council, the IOG boundary change can only be implemented by primary legislation. This led to the Local Government Bill 2018, for which Phelan moved the second reading in the Dáil on 18 October 2018. [52] The bill was initially passed by the Dáil on 13 December and the Seanad on 19 December; the Dáil agreed to the Seanad's amendments on 23 January, [53] and the bill was sign it into law on 25 January by the President, Michael D. Higgins. [2]
The boundary change took place on 31 May 2019, [54] at which time the land area of the city area increased from 39 km2 to 187 km2, and the population within the city bounds increased from 125,000 to 210,000. [55]
The change followed the 2019 Cork City Council election, which had taken place on 24 May, and among the 31 incoming city councillors were four outgoing county councillors, based in local electoral areas transferred to the city. [56] At the first annual meeting of the new council on 7 June, John Sheehan was elected Lord Mayor. [56] At the first business meeting on 10 June, Sheehan said the council would seek increased representation on the Southern Regional Assembly to reflect its increased population and area. [57]
County Cork is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are Mallow, Macroom, Midleton, and Skibbereen. As of 2022, the county had a population of 581,231, making it the third-most populous county in Ireland. Cork County Council is the local authority for the county, while Cork City Council governs the city of Cork and its environs. Notable Corkonians include Michael Collins, Jack Lynch, Roy Keane, Sonia O'Sullivan, Cillian Murphy, and Graham Norton.
Ballincollig is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at which time the Ballincollig Electoral Division had a population of 18,621 people. It is located beyond the green belt from the suburbs of Bishopstown and Wilton. Historically home to the Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills which is now a Regional Park, the town has seen much growth in recent years as a satellite of Cork City. Ballincollig is within the Cork North-West Dáil constituency.
A local electoral area is an electoral area for elections to local authorities in Ireland. All elections use the single transferable vote. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average population of 28,700 and average area of 423.3 square kilometres (163.4 sq mi). The boundaries of LEAs are determined by order of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, usually based lower-level units called electoral divisions (EDs), with a total of 3,440 EDs in the state.
Simon Coveney is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence from 2020 to 2022. He has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-Central constituency since 1998. He previously served as Tánaiste from 2017 to 2020, Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government from 2016 to 2017 and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine from 2011 to 2016. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the South constituency from 2004 to 2007.
Cork South-Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).
Cork City Council is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Prior to the enactment of the 2001 Act, the council was known as Cork Corporation. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, environment and the management of some emergency services. The council has 31 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the honorific title of Lord Mayor. The city administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Ann Doherty. The council meets at City Hall, Cork.
Cork County Council is the local authority of County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001, as amended. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 55 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Mayor. The county administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Tim Lucey. The county seat is Cork.
Toddy O'Sullivan was an Irish Labour Party politician who served for sixteen years as a Teachta Dála (TD) for constituencies in Cork, and for five years as a junior minister. He also served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 1980 to 1981.
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and third largest city on the island of Ireland. It is the largest urban centre of the Southern Region and the province of Munster. In the 2022 census, the first following an extension to the city's boundary in 2019, the city had a population of 222,333.
Michael McCarthy is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-West constituency from 2011 to 2016. He was a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2002 to 2011 and as a local councillor on Cork County Council from 1999 to 2003.
Dara Murphy is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 2014 to 2017 and Lord Mayor of Cork from 2009 to 2010. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North-Central constituency from 2011 to 2019.
In Ireland, the term city has somewhat differing meanings in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Tramore Valley Park is a park on the southside of Cork in Ireland. With an area of approximately 160 acres (65 ha), the park site is located on a landfill site which closed in 2009. While parts of the park opened in mid-2015, and had been targeted to open more completely during 2016, as of October 2018 the park had not been opened to the public on a broader scale or to larger events. The park was ultimately opened in May 2019, and is managed by the Glen Resource Centre on behalf of Cork City Council.
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, abolished all second-tier town and borough councils, and created a new second tier of municipal districts covering rural as well as urban areas. It also provided for a plebiscite on whether to create a directly elected executive Mayor of the Dublin Metropolitan Area although this provision was not activated. The act was introduced as a bill on 15 October 2013 by Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and signed into law on 27 January 2014 by President Michael D. Higgins. Most of its provisions came into force on 1 June 2014.
The Social Democrats are a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Ireland. The party was launched on 15 July 2015 by three independent Teachtaí Dála, Catherine Murphy, and Róisín Shortall, and Stephen Donnelly. It promotes the Nordic model and pro-European views.
The 2019 Irish local elections were held in all local authorities in Ireland on Friday, 24 May 2019, on the same day as the 2019 European Parliament election and a referendum easing restrictions on divorce. Each local government area is divided into local electoral areas (LEAs) where three to seven councillors are elected on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
The Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairperson of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council. The incumbent is Kieran McCarthy.
Since the early 2000s, a number of proposals have been made by politicians and interest groups in Cork City, Ireland to introduce a light rail system in the city. As of early 2019 it was in a period of public consultation. The proposal has been compared to the Luas light rail system in Dublin.
An election to Cork City Council was held in Cork city in Ireland on 24 May 2019 as part of that year's local elections. Thirty-one councillors were elected from five local electoral areas (LEAs) by single transferable vote. This election broadly coincided with an increase in the city council area, and several outgoing members of Cork County Council, based in areas transferred to the city, stood for election to the city council. Besides extending all LEAs into the former county area, the former LEA of North Central was abolished and its area divided between North West and North East.
Joe O'Brien is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Minister of State since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Fingal constituency since 2019.
on Monday, members of Cork City Council voted to support Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald's call on the Minister to bring forward legislation quickly to give effect to a city boundary extension.