MEMBERS OF Limerick County Council have described as momentous the adoption of a report proposing a single governing authority for Limerick.
The future governance of Limerick city and county, currently controlled by two local authorities, was discussed at County Hall yesterday where a proposal for a new single authority was unanimously approved by the council.
An overview of the governance of Limerick was one of the key recommendations made by the Mid West Regional Taskforce established last year and chaired by Denis Brosnan.
A Limerick Local Government Committee was established earlier this year to make recommendations on the most appropriate local government arrangements for Limerick. Recommendations to the committee must be submitted by May 4th.
The committee’s terms of reference include deciding if Limerick county and city councils should be unified or or whether there should be an adjustment between the boundary of Co Clare and Limerick city or county.
Clare county councillors are reluctant to allow Limerick to govern any part of southeast Clare. The mayor of Clare recently outlined his opposition, warning it would not happen on the watch of the 32-member council.
Limerick City Council has already expressed its preference for a boundary extension and it is due to meet later this week.
The proposal approved by Limerick county councillors yesterday would see Limerick city and county councils amalgamate into one body. The local authority has also suggested that the new governing body could provide services on behalf of Clare County Council to the small urbanised area of Clare which bounds Limerick city, but would not affect the current Clare-Limerick border.
According to Limerick county manager Ned Gleeson, county councils such as Fingal and South Dublin have already demonstrated how this can work.
Mr Gleeson said the new administrative area would have a population of close to 200,000 people, a strong mix of manufacturing, services and agricultural enterprises and a broad range of educational opportunities for its people.
Fine Gael councillor Patrick O’Donovan said the local authority provided a real chance to reform government. “Limerick will be viewed as a test case. What could happen is, Tipperary county councils will be amalgamated as well as Galway city and county and Waterford city and county.”
Fianna Fáil councillor James Collins said Limerick County Council would be left on economic life support if a boundary extension was granted to Limerick city.