PEOPLE’S OPINIONS ARE now being sought on the local government changes proposed for the country.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, has established a committee to review electoral areas. They are to report back to him before 31 May 2013.

Today he has published ads in a number of newspapers stating that the review is being undertaken in prospect of the local elections to be held in 2014, with regard to the results of census 2011 and the action programme for effective local government that was published in October 2012.

In October, Minister Hogan’s reforms were announced. They included cutting the number of councils operating in Ireland from 114 to 31. According to Hogan, the plans will save the State €420 million over four years. They met with mixed responses from various bodies.

The proposals will see town councils replaced by municipal districts, and the recommendations on local electoral areas will provide the basis for the configuration of these districts. The committee will also make recommendations around the merger of the councils of Limerick City and Limerick County, North Tipperary and South Tipperary and Waterford City and Waterford County.

The committee’s report will be considered by the Minister as the basis for the revision of the local electoral areas.

The committee is to review and make recommendations on the division of each council area, other than Cork City, into local electoral areas, and to make recommendations on the number of members of each council to be assigned to each local electoral area.

Submissions on the proposed changes can be sent by email to boundarycommittee@environ.ie or by post to Secretary, Local Electoral Area Boundary committee, Room 1.77, Custom House, Dublin 1.

For more information, visit BoundaryCommittee.ie.