Town councils in the Republic of Ireland

rdf:langString Town councils in the Republic of Ireland

rdf:langString In Ireland, a town council was part of the second (or lower) tier of local government from 2002 to 2014. Operating in smaller towns and cities, they exercised limited functions which were subsidiary to those of their relevant county council. The term was introduced into local government in Ireland by the Local Government Act 2001. From 1 January 2002 the existing urban district councils and boards of town commissioners becametown councils. Additionally, the city of Kilkenny, along with the four towns of Sligo, Drogheda, Clonmel, and Wexford, were reduced in status to the level of town council. In recognition of the previous history, the towns were permitted to use the title of "borough council" instead of "town council". There were 75 other town councils in addition to these five borough councils. Outside the towns, the county councils were solely responsible for local services. On 16 October 2012, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government published Putting People First, an "action plan for effective local government". The town councils were abolished in June 2014 under the Local Government Reform Act 2014.