Clare County Council is set for what’s been described as ‘a major shake-up’ after the next local elections, under Minister Phil Hogan’s plans to reform local government.
The number of County Councillors is to fall to 28, with the number of electoral areas here also set to be cut.
Environment Minister Phil Hogan has announced a five-person committee will decide on the boundaries of the various electoral areas nationwide as part of his plans for local government reform.
The group’s terms of reference dictate that there be one Councillor for every 4830 people, along with an extra elected representative in areas where Town Councils have been in place. This means that after the next elections 2014, Clare County Council’s membership will fall from 32 to 28.
Electoral areas are also set to get much bigger, as the group has been told that they should typically have seven members. Thus, the current six electoral areas is set to be replaced by just four.
The committee has been told to report back to the Minister by the end of May, with the exact details for Clare expected to be known thereafter.
