Galway City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe) is the local authority of the city of Galway, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 18 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of mayor. The city administration is headed by a chief executive, Leonard Cleary. The council meets at City Hall, College Road, Galway.
Galway City Council Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Peter Keane, FF | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 18 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 7 June 2024 |
| Motto | |
| Laudatio Ejus Manet In Secula Seculorum "His Praise Remains unto Ages of Ages" | |
| Meeting place | |
| City Hall, Galway | |
| Website | |
Official website  | |
History
editThe earliest known charter dates from a grant of Richard II of England in 1395.[1] The first Mayor of Galway was Peirce Lynch. A board of town commissioners was established by local act in 1836.[2] The corporation was dissolved under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, with the town commissioners as its successor.
| Galway Town Improvement Act 1853 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 15 August 1853 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
In 1853, 24 town commissioners were appointed under the Galway Town Improvement Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. cc).[3] In 1899, under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37), the county of the town became an urban district of County Galway, with an urban district council succeeding the town commissioners.[4] In 1937, the Urban District of Galway became the Borough of Galway, remaining part of County Galway.[5] The borough council had 12 members.[6] It increased to 15 members at the 1985 election, in anticipation of its conversion to a city council.[7]
In 1986, the Borough of Galway became the County Borough of Galway and ceased to part of County Galway.[8][9] The council was known as "The Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the (County) Borough of Galway" from 1937 until the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, under which it was renamed Galway City Council.[10][11] In 2013, a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee reviewed the allocation of seats and the local electoral areas across local authorities. In the case of Galway Council, it recommended an increase from 15 to 18 seats.[12] This was implemented by the Local Government Reform Act 2014.[13]
On 6 June 2018, the government announced that Galway City Council and Galway County Council were to be merged into a single local authority by 2021.[14] As of late 2021, this proposal was reportedly "off the agenda".[15]
Regional assembly
editGalway City Council has two representatives on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly where they are part of the West Strategic Planning Area Committee.[16]
Elections
editMembers of Galway City Council are elected for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) from multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).
| Year | FF | FG | Lab | GP | SD | SF | PDs | WP | Ind | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 4 | 18 | |||||||||
| 2019 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 6 | 18 | |||||||||
| 2014 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | — | 0 | 6 | 18 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 4 | 15 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |||||||||
| 1999 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |||||||||
| 1991 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |||||||||
| 1985 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 15 | |||||||||
Local electoral areas
editGalway is divided into three LEAs, defined by electoral divisions.[17] The electoral divisions were formerly known as wards and were defined in 1986.[18]
| LEA | Definition | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Galway City Central | Claddagh, Dangan, Eyre Square, Mionlach, Newcastle, Nuns Island, Rahoon, Shantalla, and Toghroinn San Niocláis. | 6 |
| Galway City East | An Caisleán Gearr, Baile an Bhriotaigh, Ballybaan, Lough Atalia, Mervue, Murroogh, Renmore and Wellpark. | 6 |
| Galway City West | Bearna, Cnoc na Cathrach, Rockbarton, Salthill and Taylors Hill. | 6 |
Councillors
editThe following were elected at the 2024 Galway City Council election.
2024 seats summary
edit| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | 4 | |
| Fine Gael | 4 | |
| Labour | 3 | |
| Social Democrats | 2 | |
| Sinn Féin | 1 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
Councillors by electoral area
editThis list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.[19]
| Council members from 2024 election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Local electoral area | Name | Party | |
| Galway City Central | Mike Cubbard | Independent | |
| Eddie Hoare | Fine Gael | ||
| Frank Fahy | Fine Gael | ||
| Josie Forde | Fianna Fáil | ||
| John McDonagh | Labour | ||
| Eibhlín Seoighte | Social Democrats | ||
| Galway City East | Alan Cheevers | Fianna Fáil | |
| Declan McDonnell | Independent | ||
| Terry O'Flaherty | Independent | ||
| Shane Forde | Fine Gael | ||
| Aisling Burke | Sinn Féin | ||
| Helen Ogbu | Labour | ||
| Galway City West | Donal Lyons | Independent | |
| Clodagh Higgins | Fine Gael | ||
| Alan Curran | Social Democrats | ||
| John Connolly | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Peter Keane | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Níall McNelis | Labour | ||
References
edit- ^ Commissioners appointed to inquire into the municipal corporations in Ireland (1835). "Town and County of the Town of Galway". Appendix to the First Report, Part I: Southern, midland, western and south-eastern circuits, and part of the north-eastern circuit. Command papers. Vol. 27. HMSO. p. 317. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Galway Improvement Act 1836 (c. cxvii)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 4 July 1836. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Galway Town Improvement Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. cc)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 15 August 1853. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ Clancy, John Joseph (1899). A handbook of local government in Ireland: containing an explanatory introduction to the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898: together with the text of the act, the orders in Council, and the rules made thereunder relating to county council, rural district council, and guardian's elections: with an index. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers and Walker. p. 424.
- ^ Local Government (Galway) Act 1937, s. 4: Formation of the Borough of Galway (No. 3P of 1937, s. 4). Enacted on 10 June 1937. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
- ^ Local Government (Galway) Act 1937, s. 15: Composition of Borough Council (No. 3P of 1937, s. 15). Enacted on 10 June 1937. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 29 October 2023.
- ^ Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985, s. 6: Membership of Council of Borough of Galway and establishment of City Council (No. 7 of 1985, s. 6). Enacted on 3 April 1985. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 29 October 2023.
- ^ Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985, s. 5: Establishment of Borough of Galway as County Borough (No. 7 of 1985, s. 5). Enacted on 3 April 1985. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
- ^ Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985 (County Borough of Galway) (Appointed Day) Order 1985 (S.I. No. 425 of 1985). Signed on 18 December 1985. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
- ^ Local Government Act 2001, s. 10: Local government areas (No. 37 of 2001, s. 10). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
- ^ "History of the City Council". Galway City Council. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
- ^ "Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report 2013" (PDF). Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. 29 May 2013. p. 57.
- ^ Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 15: Number of members of local authorities (No. 1 of 2014, s. 15). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ^ Kelly, Briain (7 June 2018). "City and County councils will merge by 2021". Galway Daily. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Council merger is now off the table". Connacht Tribune. 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014, Article 5 and Schedule 3 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 19 April 2023.
- ^ City of Galway Local Electoral Areas Order 2018 (S.I. No. 617 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 23 February 2019.
- ^ County Borough of Galway (Wards) Regulations 1986 (S.I. No. 34 of 1986). Signed on 6 February 1986. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ^ "Galway City Council – Elected Candidates". RTÉ News. Retrieved 13 June 2024.