Councillors and potential candidates are digesting recommendations, which will see Clare divided into five areas in the next local election.
The Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee has published its report, which will result in North Clare re-gaining it’s own electoral area.
Clare FM’s Fiona McGarry reports:
This report recommends that Clare be divided into five areas for the next local election, retaining its current membership of 28 councillors.
West Clare area, now called Kilrush, has five seats, and stretches from Loop Head to Kildysart, while North Clare – including Miltown Malbay and Ruan – is a four-seater electoral areas.
Both will be merged together to form a single Municipal District for meetings after the election.
Elsewhere, Clonlara moves into the Shannon District, which gains one seat to become a seven seater while the Ennis Municipal District loses a seat, as well as Kilmaley – which goes into Kilrush – and also the areas of Clooney and Quin which go into the five seater Killaloe District.
The changes are being digested by local representatives, including Quin native incoming Mayor of Ennis, Clare Colleran Molloy, who’ll lose a base of support if she runs in Ennis next year, as she has indicated is her preference.
The restoration of the North Clare area is being welcomed there, and elsewhere.
Lahinch Fine Gael Councillor Bill Slattery hopes it will lead to additional resources in the area…
… While Councillor Slattery’s colleague Pat Burke from Whitegate thinks the smaller area for East Clare is better too
