Offaly to get new municipal councils "with increased powers"

The Municipal Districts currently in place in Tullamore, Birr, and Edenderry are to be replaced in 2029 by new Municipal Councils which will have "enhanced budgetary and decision-making powers".

The announcement that Municipal Councils are to be established in each of the current local authority Muncipal District areas was made on Wednesday and comes 12 years after town councils which had been in place across the country were abolished.

The planned change is the most significant recommendation in a Local Democracy Taskforce Report which was published by the Government this week.

Legislation to pave the way for the new Municipal Councils is due to be prepared by the end of next year, with the new bodies coming into force at the time of the next local elections in 2029.

In Offaly, this means the Municipal Districts of Tullamore, Birr and Edenderry, would each become Municipal Councils.

The taskforce does not propose any changes to the geographical areas that make up the current Municipal Districts, adding that this "will always be a matter for consideration in any review of Local Electoral Areas in the future".

According to the Local Democracy Taskforce Report, the new Municipal Councils will be designed to deliver a system of local government that is "more responsive and engaged with communities".

The report also states that the Municipal Councils "should have a specific focus on revitalising towns while ensuring the vitality of surrounding rural areas".

The taskforce is recommending the establishment of Municipal Councils "for all local authorities," and it stated that in addition to having "increased decision-making and budgetary powers," they will "have the ability to develop town programmes to drive reform".

The report of the taskforce states that the new Municipal Council system "is not a separate entity but a structure that enables more local decision-making, with the plenary council retaining its primacy".

The report says that, while the new structures and operational arrangements will not take effect until the next council elections in June 2029, "it will be important that there is clarity about the arrangements, to give certainty to councillors and the teams in local authorities, at least 12 months before" people go to the polls.

Other recommendations in the taskforce's report included strengthening councillors' powers by introducing "statutory timeframes for executive responses" to their queries on certain issues, as well as enhanced supports and improved access to training and development.

A greater focus on communicating the role of local government to the public is also recommended.

"The Taskforce noted a general lack of awareness, in both central government departments and the public, of the role of Municipal Districts in representing and meeting the needs of local communities," the report stated.

"This needs to be addressed through a range of ongoing communication and awareness-raising activities for the new Municipal Councils."

An Implementation Steering Group, chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is due to oversee and coordinate delivery of the planned changes "across Government, local authorities and sectoral stakeholders".