Proposed legislation to create the office for a directly elected mayor for Limerick has been published, with the election to be held at the same time as the Local and European Elections, between 6-9 June 2024.
Having a directly elected mayor with executive functions will enable the people of Limerick to have a greater say over the delivery of services and infrastructure and how the city develops, as they voted for by plebiscite, according to Kieran O’Donnell, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning.
The successful plebiscite in 2019 saw the people of Limerick vote in favour of creating the office. Similar proposals in Cork and Waterford were defeated, while in 2020 Galway City Council passed a motion calling for a plebiscite on a proposal for a directly elected mayor with executive functions. The Government has signalled plans to potentially hold such a plebiscite in Dublin next June.
“A key milestone to having the first directly elected mayor in Ireland, it is also one of the most significant reforms of local government since the foundation of our state, with Limerick leading the way,” the Minister has noted.
The Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill, which establishes the office of mayor and its mayoral functions, sets out the governance structures to support the office and provides a code for the mayoral election. It also makes provision for holding plebiscites in other local authority areas on the question of whether or not to have a directly elected mayor.
Minister O’Donnell added: “The directly elected mayor will take on many of the executive functions which currently rest with the chief executive, in addition to a host of new functions, supported by a budget to implement the mayor’s programme and priorities.
“This legislation provides the Mandate, Structures and Means to deliver on the ambition of the office of the first directly elected mayor of Limerick. It provides a major opportunity for the city to forge an enhanced local government, with huge potential to develop service delivery and accountability locally, adding value for the people of Limerick.”
Minister O’Donnell noted that Limerick City and County Council will be a very different local authority from the other 30 local authorities – “working with councillors and all stakeholders, a directly elected mayor will be a champion for Limerick city and county and will have a place-making role for the county and region”.