Galway Bay fm newsroom - A new report published this evening recommends that the government begin the process of merging Galway city and county councils as a matter of urgency.
Minister of State for Local Government John Phelan has this evening presented the second report of the Galway Local Government Committee.
The document endorses the previous recommendation that the local authorties should be amalgamated, and says it should take place in the next three years.
The report states that despite the recommendation that the city and county councils be merged no later than 2021, next year's local elections should go ahead as planned.
In 2015, a Galway Local Government Committee unanimously recommended the establishment of a new, unified Galway authority.
This option was chosen by the committee over the two other options - a change to the city boundary or no change to either councils.
At the time, the group concluded that this would maximise the potential of the region to maintain, secure and grow a sustainable economic base into the future by combining the strengths of the two councils.
An advisory group set up after the publication of that report backed the call for amalgamation.
The second phase of the expert advisory group has now been completed and submitted to the government.
It endorses and confirms the recommendation that Galway city and county councils be merged.
The report set out the following key recommendations:
-A Ministerial decision should be taken on the Group’s recommendations and be legislated for as a matter of urgency, to provide certainty.
-The scheduled 2019 local elections should be held to the two existing local authorities as currently constituted, but the amalgamation should happen no later than 2021.
-The members elected in 2019 to each local authority should combine to form the membership of the unified Galway City and County Council on the date of amalgamation, with the first elections to the unified authority to be held in 2024.
-The recommended amalgamation must be preceded by addressing noted deficiencies in both human and financial resources noted by the Group.
-At representational level, the structure of Municipal Districts must be strengthened and their full potential explored and resourced.
Should the merger go ahead as recommended, the merged Galway authority would have 57 councillors.
Minister Phelan says he'll be bringing the proposals to government shortly, but it's not yet known when a final decision will be made.
