Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) refers to two different entities.
- From 1841 until 1 January 2002 it referred to the unicameral city assembly of Dublin, which was part of the overall administrative and governmental system of Dublin known as Dublin Corporation.
- Since 1 January 2002, it is the name which applies both to the assembly and to the whole system of Dublin government formerly called Dublin Corporation.[1]
Where the Council meets in session.
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.[2] It is one of eight such Authorities in the state. 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:
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[3] The instrument also provided for the abolition of Dublin County Council - the entity that had proviously had responsibility for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin. The four entities collectively comprise the former entity known as County Dublin. This feudal entity, which had been created during the Norman invasion of Ireland, was abolished under the Acts.
Name of the Council
By the 2001 Act, Dublin Corporation was abolished, though some citizens still use the name when referring to the Council. The Act also abolished the title Alderman, though some citizens still use the name when referring to Council Members. It had been a tradition of the previous entity for those members who topped the poll in their respective wards to use the honourific Alderman. Even then though, the laws of the Republic of Ireland recognised no such inequality between citizens.
History
The Assembly
Under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, the previous bicameral assembly of a House of Aldermen and a House of Sheriffs and Commons was replaced by a unicameral assembly. The new name Dublin City Council was coined for the unicameral assembly. It was presided over by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the first citizen of the city, an office which had existed since 1665. The first City Council was elected in October 1841, and Daniel O'Connell became the first Lord Mayor under the new system.
The Corporation becomes the Council
At the start of the 21st century the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Noel Dempsey made minor changes to Irish local government. Among the changes were the abolition of the ancient city corporations. All former borough councils underwent a name-change, with Dublin Corporation assuming the name previously belonging to its assembly. 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 Manager.
City Manager
The Dublin City Manager is the chief executive officer the council. The Manager is responsible for a staff of 6,200. The offices of the Manager and other administrative staff are based in the Civic Offices on Wood Quay.
The Lord Mayor
Official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin performs two distinct functions. He or she is chair of the Council, and symbolic and ceremonial head of the city government.
The scale of the actual power exercised by the Lord Mayor depends on the personality of the holder of the office. While longterm mayor Alfie Byrne was able by force of personality and reputation to influence and shape the development of the city,[clarification needed] some other Lords Mayor have had little impact other than chairing the City Council. In 2002 legislation was passed by the Oireachtas whereby the Lord Mayoralty would become a directly elected office from 2004. However, further legislation in 2003 abandoned this provision and the mayor continues to be elected annually by the City Councillors.
Dublin City Council
While also referring to the overall city government, Dublin City Council also refers to the city assembly. That assembly is made up of 52 members. Members are elected using Proportional Representation using the Single Transferable Vote, every five years from Local Election Areas. The party or group of parties which win the majority of seats control the City Council agenda, deciding who sits on what committee, what policies are followed, and who becomes the Lord Mayor.
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.
Current party strengths on the Council
After the 2009 local election, the Council is made up of:
- Labour Party - 20 ^
- Fine Gael - 12
- Fianna Fáil - 6
- Sinn Féin - 4 ^
- People Before Profit Alliance - 2
- Independents - 8 ^
^ Nineteen Labour, seven Sinn Féin and six Independent councillors were elected in the 2009 Local Elections. However, two Sinn Féin Councillors, Christy Burke and Louise Minihan, resigned from the party in 2009 to sit on the Council as independents, and a third, Killian Forde, resigned in January 2010 to join Labour.
Following the 2004 local election, the Council was made up of the following:
- Labour Party – 15
- Fianna Fáil – 12
- Sinn Féin – 10
- Fine Gael – 10
- Green Party – 1
- Progressive Democrats – 1
- Non-Party – 3
Following the election, Labour, Fine Gael, and the Greens, holding exactly half of the Council seats, formed a "Democratic Alliance" and agreed on a broad policy programme for the new Council term, dubbed the Democratic Charter for Dublin. A side-deal with the Progressive Democrat member allowed this grouping to elect Michael Conaghan of Labour as Lord Mayor in its first year, with Fine Gael's Catherine Byrne holding the post for 2005. However the suspension by Fine Gael of one of their Councillors, Niamh Cosgrave led to a tied vote in 2006, with Independent councillor Vincent Jackson eventually being selected by lot, having been supported by Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the independents.
Council buildings
Executive & administrative offices.
Mansion House
The Lord Mayor's official residence is the Mansion House, which first became the residence of the Lord Mayor in 1715.
Dublin City Hall
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.
Civic offices
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.
Functions of Dublin City Council
The functions of the City Council include: Public Housing, Library Services, Refuse Services, Drainage, Driver and Vehicle Licencing, Planning and Roads.
The Council has budgeted to spend €847,137,522 during 2007 in service of these functions. 50.5% of this will go towards the payroll of the Council's staff. 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 adopted 2007 roads budget is just over €105,000,000, to support maintenance of all roads in its functional area.
In conjunction with Dublin City FM, Dublin City Council airs its own radio show, "Live Drive", between 07:00-10:00 and 16:00-19:00 weekdays on 103.2 with Sarah Francis And John Neary
See also
External links
References
- ^ According to the "Local Government Act, 2001", section 10(2): "The State continues to stand divided into local government areas to be known as counties and cities which are the areas set out in Parts 1 and 2, respectively, of Schedule 5." It is clear from SCHEDULE 5, Local Government Areas (Counties and Cities, PART 1, that "Dublin" is defined as a city (as distinct from a county).
- ^ (Regional Authorities) Establishment Order 1993.
- ^ Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1993:
Section 2: "the county", in relation to any time before the establishment day, means the administrative county of Dublin
Section 9(1) On the establishment day— ... (a) the county shall cease to exist.