No Waterford voice on Committee set up to look at Two Mayor Systems in Waterford and Limerick

A committee set up by Local Government Minister Alan Kelly to look at two-mayor system in both Waterford and Limerick has no representation from the City or County in either county.

In 2012, then Local Government Minister Phil Hogan brought together a programme to the Cabinet which was passed seeing the unification of Town Councils across Ireland into the County Councils as well as both Waterford and Limerick City Councils merging with the County Councils in the two respective counties, after the local elections which were to be held in 2014.

Tipperary North Riding and Tipperary South Riding Councils also merged to form one Council.

The move to merge Town and County Councils as well as Waterford and Limerick City and County Councils came on the back of recommendations made by a committee set up by Phil Hogan to examine the feasibility of such a move.

When then Minster Hogan introduced his plan it was announced that the merger of Waterford City and County Councils would save between Five and Nine Million Euro a year following the removal of duplication. The merger of the two councils in Limerick it was reported at the time would save up to fifteen million euro a year while the merger in Tipperary it was envisaged would save up to six million euro a year.

The Limerick Leader’s Website is reporting that Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan raised the issue of Limerick having both a Metropolitan Mayor and an overall City and County Mayor. Minister Alan Kelly the report says “has said he had initiated a review into this”.

The group set up to look at Duel Mayoralty contains representatives of local authorities in Carlow, Kildare, Tipperary, Donegal and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, there is no-one from Limerick, or indeed Waterford, where there is also a two-mayor system in place.

The website report goes on to say that Limerick Councillor Jerry O’Dea has called on current Minister Alan Kelly to include a Limerick Representative on the committee.

The report says that Fine Gael council leader in Limerick Council John Sheahan met Minister Kelly this week and urged him to “desist” from making any changes to Limerick’s dual mayoralty system, at least for the time being.

Councillor Sheahan added that “The power was given to us in the Local Government Reform Act to decide on roles. We have done so, and are putting a protocol around the pecking order of the Mayors and the Chairs. We would be hoping this will solve any confusion around the system.”

Councillor Sheahan is PRO of the Local Authority Members Association.

Metropolitan Mayor of Limerick Jerry O’Dea in the report says that he “would be calling on the Minister to make sure there is representation from both Limerick and Waterford on this committee so the unique positions and the history of both cities could be represented.”

Labour Councillor in Limerick Joe Leddin who saw a motion to abolish the Metropolitan Mayoralty in Limerick defeated last month has said: “I’m just delighted this review group has been established. It shows intend on behalf of the minister that this issue of a dual Mayoralty, be it in Limerick, Waterford, or anywhere else, is not sustainable going forward.

“It might be a problem in Waterford and Limerick today, but who’s to say it won’t be a problem if they decide to merge Cork city and county, or Galway city and county? The same issue will arise. The mettle needs to be grasped.”