Dublin City Council

Dublin City Council Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath
Type
Type	City council
Leadership
Lord Mayor	Brendan Carr, Labour
Structure
Seats	63
Political groups	Council Control (38)   Sinn Féin (16)   Labour Party (8)   Green Party (3)   Independent (11) Council Opposition (25)   Fianna Fáil (9)   Fine Gael (8)   AAA-PBP (5)   Social Democrats (1)   Workers' Party (1)
Elections
Last election	23 May 2014
Meeting place
City Hall, Dublin
Website
www.dublincity.ie

Dublin City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council was known as "Dublin Corporation". The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture and environment. The council has 63 elected members and is the largest local council in Ireland. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the honorific title of Lord Mayor. The city administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Owen Keegan. The council meets at City Hall, Dublin.

Legal status

As part of the Dublin Region, Dublin City Council is within the geographic remit of the Dublin Regional Authority. Following the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, the Regional Authority was established. It is one of eight such Authorities in the Republic of Ireland. Local government in the region was further regulated by the Local Government Act 1994. This provided for the legal establishment of the following local government administrative areas: Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown and also recognised the extant Dublin Corporation area, vesting its powers in a renamed entity – Dublin City Council. The statutory instrument giving effect to the Act came into force on 1 January 1994. The instrument also provided for the abolition of Dublin County Council – the entity that had previously had responsibility for Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The four entities collectively comprise the former entity known as County Dublin. This entity, which had been created after the Norman invasion of Ireland, was abolished under the Acts.

Statutory functions

The functions of the City Council include: Public Housing, Library Services, Refuse Services, Drainage, Driver and Vehicle Licensing, Planning and Roads. The Council budgeted to spend €847,137,522 during 2007 in service of these functions. 50.5% of this went towards the payroll of the Council's staff which was a reduction from 50.7% in 2006. In the case of Traffic Management, the Council receives grants from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and also the National Roads Authority to assist it in meeting this responsibility. The 2007 roads budget was just over €105,000,000, to support maintenance of all roads in its functional area.

History

The area governed by the council

Prior to 1841, the administrative and governmental system of Dublin, known as Dublin Corporation, was bicameral having an assembly of called the "House of Aldermen" and another called the "House of Sheriffs and Commons". Under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, they were replaced by a unicameral assembly. The new name Dublin City Council was coined for the unicameral assembly. The Lord Mayor of Dublin presided over the assembly. This office which had existed since 1665. The first City Council was elected in October 1841 when Daniel O'Connell became the first Lord Mayor. Since 1 January 2002, the functions of local government have been transferred to Dublin City Council. In 1994, Dublin County Council and the Corporation of Dún Laoghaire were abolished but this had no impact on the city council. To coincide with its name change, the City Council adopted a new logo and brand identity, based on a simplified version of the ancient "three castles" symbol.

Structures

Executive power is shared between the council and an appointed executive official known as the Chief Executive. The chief executive is responsible for a staff of 6,200. The offices of the chief executive and other administrative staff are based in the Civic Offices on Wood Quay. The Lord Mayor of Dublin acts as chair of the Council is the ceremonial head of the city government.

Representative power is vested in the city assembly which consists of 63 members. Members are elected using Proportional representation using the Single transferable vote, every five years from Dublin City Council local electoral areas. The City Council meets in plenary session on the first Monday of every month in Dublin City Hall. One of the Council's most important roles is that of passing an annual budget. Should any Irish council fail to pass a budget within the allotted time, the Minister for the Environment is empowered to abolish it and grant its powers to a commissioner until the next scheduled council elections.

Councillors

Main article: Dublin City Council election, 2014

The Mansion House.
Official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin.

The council has 63 seats. For the purpose of elections the city is divided into nine local electoral areas (LEA).

Area	Seats
Ballyfermot–Drimnagh	6
Ballymun	7
Beaumont–Donaghmede	9
Cabra–Finglas	7
Clontarf	6
Crumlin–Kimmage	6
North Inner City	8
Pembroke–South Dock	8
Rathgar–Rathmines	6

2014 seats summary

Party		Seats
style="background-color: Template:Sinn Féin/meta/color" |	Sinn Féin	16
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |	Fianna Fáil	9
style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |	Fine Gael	8
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" |	Labour Party	8
style="background-color: Template:People Before Profit Alliance/meta/color" |	People Before Profit	5
style="background-color: Template:Green Party (Ireland)/meta/color" |	Green Party	3
style="background-color: Template:Anti-Austerity Alliance/meta/color" |	Anti-Austerity Alliance	1
style="background-color: Template:United Left (Ireland)/meta/color" |	United Left	1
style="background-color: Template:Independent politician/meta/color" |	Independent	12

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 23 May 2014.

Council members from 2014 election
Local electoral area	Name	Party
Ballyfermot–Drimnagh	Daithí Doolan		Sinn Féin
	Bríd Smith†		People Before Profit
	Greg Kelly		Sinn Féin
	Paul Hand		Independent
	Vincent Jackson		Independent
	Daithí de Róiste		Fianna Fáil
Ballymun	Noeleen Reilly		Sinn Féin
	Cathleen Carney Boud		Sinn Féin
	Noel Rock†		Fine Gael
	Andrew Montague		Labour
	Paul McAuliffe		Fianna Fáil
	Andrew Keegan		People Before Profit
	Áine Clancy		Labour
Beaumont–Donaghmede	Larry O'Toole		Sinn Féin
	Tom Brabazon		Fianna Fáil
	John Lyons		People Before Profit
	Mícheál MacDonncha		Sinn Féin
	Denise Mitchell†		Sinn Féin
	Declan Flanagan		Fine Gael
	Michael O'Brien		Anti-Austerity Alliance
	Paddy Bourke		Independent
	Alison Gilliland		Labour
Cabra–Finglas	Cieran Perry		Independent
	Anthony Connaghan		Sinn Féin
	Emma Murphy		Sinn Féin
	Séamas McGrattan		Sinn Féin
	Brendan Carr		Labour
	David Costello		Fianna Fáil
	Teresa Keegan		Independent
Clontarf	Damian O'Farrell		Independent
	Seán Haughey†		Fianna Fáil
	Naoise Ó Muirí		Fine Gael
	Jane Horgan-Jones		Labour
	Deirdre Heney		Fianna Fáil
	Ciarán O'Moore		Sinn Féin
Crumlin–Kimmage	Críona Ní Dhálaigh		Sinn Féin
	Tina MacVeigh		People Before Profit
	Ray McHugh		Sinn Féin
	Rebecca Moynihan		Labour
	Catherine Ardagh		Fianna Fáil
	Pat Dunne‡		United Left
North Inner City	Janice Boylan		Sinn Féin
	Christy Burke		Independent
	Nial Ring		Independent
	Jonathan Dowdall†		Sinn Féin
	Ciarán Cuffe		Green
	Gary Gannon‡		Independent
	Ray McAdam		Fine Gael
	Éilis Ryan‡		Independent
Pembroke–South Dock	Chris Andrews		Sinn Féin
	Mannix Flynn		Independent
	Dermot Lacey		Labour
	Frank Kennedy		Fianna Fáil
	Claire Byrne		Green
	Paddy McCartan		Fine Gael
	Kieran Binchy		Fine Gael
	Sonya Stapleton		People Before Profit
Rathgar–Rathmines	Kate O'Connell†		Fine Gael
	Patrick Costello		Green
	Jim O'Callaghan†		Fianna Fáil
	Mary Freehill		Labour
	Paddy Smyth		Fine Gael
	Ruairí McGinley		Independent

^†Replaced during term, see table below for details.
^‡Changed party, see table below for details.

Co-options

Outgoing	Party		Electoral area	Reason	Date	Co-optee	Party
Jonathan Dowdall	style="background-color: Template:Sinn Féin/meta/color" |	Sinn Féin	North Inner City	Resigned from the council	February 2015	Gaye Fagan	style="background-color: Template:Sinn Féin/meta/color" |	Sinn Féin
Noel Rock	style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |	Fine Gael	Ballymun	Elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election	February 2016	Norma Sammon	style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |	Fine Gael
Kate O'Connell	style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |	Fine Gael	Rathgar-Rathmines	Elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election	February 2016	Anne Feeney	style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |	Fine Gael
Jim O'Callaghan	style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |	Fianna Fáil	Rathgar-Rathmines	Elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election	February 2016	Claire O'Connor	style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |	Fianna Fáil
Bríd Smith	style="background-color: Template:People Before Profit Alliance/meta/color" |	People Before Profit Alliance	Ballyfermot-Drimnagh	Elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election	February 2016	Hazel De Nortúin	style="background-color: Template:People Before Profit Alliance/meta/color" |	People Before Profit Alliance
Denise Mitchell	style="background-color: Template:Sinn Féin/meta/color" |	Sinn Féin	Beaumont-Donaghmede	Elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election	February 2016	Edel Moran	style="background-color: Template:Sinn Féin/meta/color" |	Sinn Féin
Seán Haughey	style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |	Fianna Fáil	Clontarf	Elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election	February 2016	Seán Paul Mahon	style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |	Fianna Fáil

Changes in affiliation

Name	Electoral area	Elected as		New affiliation		Date
Éilis Ryan	North Inner City	style="background-color: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color" |	Independent	style="background-color: Template:Workers' Party of Ireland/meta/color" |	Workers' Party	January 2015
Gary Gannon	North Inner City	style="background-color: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color" |	Independent	style="background-color: Template:Social Democrats (Ireland)/meta/color" |	Social Democrats	September 2015
Pat Dunne	Crumlin–Kimmage	style="background-color: Template:United Left (Ireland)/meta/color" |	United Left	style="background-color: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color" |	Independent	December 2015

Dublin City Council must by law at least once in every ten years, following consultation with the returning officer for Dáil elections in respect of each constituency within its area, establish a polling district containing a polling place. This is call the Polling Scheme which lists each constituency with its Local electoral areas, polling districts and polling places.

Council buildings

The Civic Offices, Wood Quay
Executive and administrative offices.

The Lord Mayor's official residence is the Mansion House, which first became the residence of the Lord Mayor in 1715.

Council meetings take place in the headquarters at Dublin City Hall. Formerly Royal Exchange, the City Hall is one of Dublin's finest buildings and located on Dame Street. It was built in 1769–79 to the winning design of Thomas Cooley. In an architectural competition, James Gandon was the runner-up with a scheme that many people favoured. The building was taken over for city government use in the 1850s.

Much of the council's administrative staff are based in the Civic Offices on Wood Quay. These offices were built in 1979–80 on top of what had been one of the best preserved Viking sites in the world. The Corporation's (as it was then) decision to bulldoze the historic site proved one of the most controversial in modern Irish history, with thousands of people, including medieval historian Fr. F. X. Martin and Senator Mary Robinson (later President of Ireland) marching to try to stop the destruction. The destruction of the site on Wood Quay and the building of a set of offices known as The Bunkers (being a prime example of Brutalist architecture) is generally seen as one of the most disastrous acts against Ireland's heritage since independence, with even Dublin Corporation admitting subsequently that it was ashamed of its action. Originally, there were to be four of these 'bunkers' built but only two were ever completed. Instead the river frontage is a block designed by the firm Scott Tallon Walker. Completed in 1994, it boasts a leafy atrium and fine views from many of its offices.

External links

• Official website
• Full list of Councillors
• Local Government Act, 2001
• History of Dublin City Council
• Podcast about the history of local government in Dublin