Cork Chamber of Commerce endorses council merger proposal

Cork Chamber of Commerce has welcomed plans to merge the local city and county council insisting that it will be a "winning formula" which will facilitate the region to speak with "one voice."

Chamber president Barrie O’Connell said the overarching recommendation to create a unified local authority structure, with a strong metropolitan division at its core will ensure that Cork remains centre-stage.

“This is a unique opportunity for the citizens and stakeholders in Cork to now prioritise and position our region as an international location of substance for economic development, with a recognised and valuable contribution to make to the national, European and world economies,” he said.

An expanded metropolitan area will be the key driver of economic growth into the future, he added, which will maximise the benefits for all. In particular, he stressed the proposal to introduce a specific and enhanced economic development portfolio as a very positive step.

“With Cork now assuming the position of the largest local authority in the State and with specific recommendations regarding the devolution of power in the future, we now need to seize this opportunity to innovate for Cork, take the necessary risks and transform 21st century local government within our exceptional region in the months and years ahead.”

However, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is among those who have objected to the proposals. He insisted the merger would be damaging to the city.

“This construct will, without question, undermine the status of the city. It will hold back the region ultimately. The city needs its own focus, its own governance,” he said. As the city will be just one of three divisions in the new council, he warned that it will be “marginalised and outvoted.”

Opposition view

Cllr Mick Barry of the Anti-Austerity Alliance is also against the proposals, comparing them to the "supercouncils" in the United Kingdom.

He said it could result in increased privatisation and an erosion of services.

“Local authority managers in the UK have used the sheer size of merged councils to argue that local authorities should not be directly providing services but instead should be merely acting as managers, outsourcing service provision to the private sector,” he said. It is bad news for ordinary people in ordinary communities.

“I can easily see that happening in the case of a merged Cork supercouncil and I think this would mean a real deterioration in services for the people of both Cork City and County.”

The review began last year after Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly commissioned the study into the Cork city boundary to see if it should be extended or the two councils merged.

The aim of the review was to try and establish the best model of local government to help drive economic development in the Cork area and help the region develop as a counterweight to Dublin.

The review committee was chaired by former Beamish and Crawford boss Alf Smiddy. He, along with former Kerry county manager Tom Curran and barrister John Lucey favour the merger.

UCC academics Theresa Reidy and Dermot Keogh are opposed to the proposals and published their own "minority report".

It is understood the new arrangements could be in place prior to the local elections in Cork in 2019.