Wexford County Council

Wexford County Council (Irish: Comhairle Contae Loch Garman) is the authority responsible for local government in County Wexford, Ireland. As a county 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 34 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (Chairperson). The county administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Tom Enright. The county town is Wexford.

Wexford County Council

Comhairle Contae Loch Garman
Type
Type
Leadership
Ger Carthy, Ind
Structure
Seats34
Political groups
Elections
Last election
24 May 2019
Motto
Exemplar Hiberniae  (Latin)
"An example to Ireland"
Meeting place
County Hall, Wexford
Website
wexfordcoco.ie
The area governed by the council

History

Wexford County Council was established in statute in 1898 by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. The first meeting of the council was on 22 April 1899.[1]

From 1899 to 1920, meetings of the county council were held in the Grand Jury room of the old Wexford Courthouse on Commercial Quay.[2] After the old courthouse burnt down in the Irish War of Independence, a new courthouse was established on the site of the old jail in Hill Street in 1930.[2][3] The county council relocated to the site in Hill Street at the same time.[4][5] After the condition of the properties in Hill Street proved inadequate, the county council moved to a modern County Hall in Carricklawn in September 2011[5] and a modern courthouse was opened on Belvedere Road in 2018.[6]

In 2014, the Local Government Reform Act 2014 dissolved the Enniscorthy Town Council, the Gorey Town Council, New Ross Town Council, and the Wexford Borough Council. Wexford County Council became the local authority for their areas of jurisdiction.[7]

Local electoral areas and municipal districts

Since 2018, for the purpose of elections the county is divided into six local electoral areas: Enniscorthy (6), Gorey (6), Kilmuckridge (4), New Ross (6), Rosslare (5) and Wexford (7).

Since 2018, for the purpose of local exercising of the powers of the local authority, the county is divided into five municipal districts: Enniscorthy, Gorey — Kilmuckridge, New Ross, Rosslare, and the Borough District of Wexford. Each municipal district corresponds in area to the respectively named LEA, except for the Gorey — Kilmuckridge Municipal District, which corresponds to both the Gorey LEA and the Kilmuckridge LEA.[8][9]

Local electoral area Municipal district Definition Seats
Enniscorthy The electoral divisions of Ballindaggan, Ballycarney, Ballyhoge, Bree, Castledockrell, Enniscorthy Rural, Enniscorthy Urban, Ferns, Kilbora, Killoughrum, Kilrush, Kiltealy, Marshalstown, Moyacomb, Newtownbarry, Rossard, St. Marys, The Leap and Tombrack. 6
Gorey Gorey — Kilmuckridge The electoral divisions of Ardamine, Balloughter, Ballybeg, Ballyellis, Ballylarkin, Ballynestragh, Coolgreany, Courtown, Gorey Rural, Gorey Urban, Huntingtown, Kilcomb, Kilgorman, Kilnahue, Limerick, Monaseed, Rossminoge and Wingfield. 6
Rosslare The electoral divisions of Aughwilliam, Ballymitty, Bannow, Bridgetown, Clongeen, Duncormick, Harperstown, Harristown, Kilcowan, Killag, Killinick, Kilmore, Kilscoran, Ladys Island, Mayglass, Newcastle, Rosslare, St. Helens, Tacumshin, Taghmon and Tomhaggard; and those parts of the electoral divisions of Drinagh and Rathaspick not contained in the local electoral area of Wexford. 5
Kilmuckridge Gorey — Kilmuckridge The electoral divisions of Ballycanew, Ballygarrett, Ballyhuskard, Ballymore, Ballyvaldon, Bolaboy, Cahore, Castle Ellis, Castle Talbot, Edermine, Ford, Kilcormick, Killenagh, Killincooly, Kilmallock, Monamolin, The Harrow, Tinnacross and Wells. 4
New Ross The electoral divisions of Adamstown, Ballyanne, Ballyhack, Barrack Village, Barronstown, Carnagh, Carrickbyrne, Castleboro, Clonleigh, Clonroche, Dunmain, Fethard, Horetown, Inch, Kilgarvan, Killann, Killesk, Kilmokea, New Ross Rural, New Ross Urban, Newbawn, Old Ross, Oldcourt, Rathroe, Rochestown, Rosbercon Urban, Templeludigan, Templetown, Tintern, Whitechurch (in the former Rural District of New Ross), Whitechurch (in the former Rural District of Wexford) and Whitemoor. 6
Wexford Borough District of Wexford The electoral divisions of Ardcavan, Ardcolm, Artramon, Carrick, Forth, Glynn, Kilbride, Killurin, Kilpatrick, Wexford No. 1 Urban, Wexford No. 2 Urban, Wexford No. 3 Urban, Wexford Rural; and those parts of the electoral divisions of Drinagh and Rathaspick to the north of a line drawn as follows: Commencing at the boundary between the electoral divisions of Rathaspick and Wexford Rural at the N25 and then proceeding in a south-easterly direction along the N25 to the roundabout at the junction of the N25 and the R730, and then proceeding along an easterly projection to the boundary between the electoral divisions of Drinagh and Rosslare. 7

Councillors

2019 seats summary
Party Seats
Fianna Fáil 12
Fine Gael 9
Labour Party 2
Sinn Féin 2
Aontú 1
Independent 8

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 24 May 2019.[10]

Council members from 2019 election
Local electoral area Name Party
Enniscorthy Kathleen Codd-Nolan Fine Gael
John O’Rourke Independent
Barbara-Anne Murphy Fianna Fáil
Cathal Byrne Fine Gael
Aidan Browne Fianna Fáil
Jackser Owens Independent
Gorey Malcolm Byrne† Fianna Fáil
Anthony Donohoe Fine Gael
Diarmuid Devereux Fine Gael
Dónal Kenny Fianna Fáil
Joe Sullivan Fianna Fáil
Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin Sinn Féin
Kilmuckridge Pip Breen Fianna Fáil
Mary Farrell Independent
Oliver Walsh Fine Gael
Willie Kavanagh Fianna Fáil
New Ross Pat Barden Independent
Michael Sheehan Fianna Fáil
John Fleming Fianna Fáil
Michael Whelan Fianna Fáil
Anthony Connick Independent
Brídín Murphy Fine Gael
Rosslare Ger Carthy Independent
Frank Staples Fine Gael
Lisa McDonald Fianna Fáil
Jim Moore Fine Gael
Jim Codd Aontú
Wexford George Lawlor Labour Party
John Hegarty Fine Gael
Leonard Kelly Independent
Garry Laffan Fianna Fáil
Tom Forde Sinn Féin
Maura Bell Labour Party
Davy Hynes Independent

†Replaced during term, see table below for details.

Co-options
Party Outgoing Electoral area Reason Date Co-optee
Fianna Fáil Malcolm Byrne Gorey Elected as a TD at the 2019 Wexford by-election. November 2019 Andrew Bolger[11]

See also

References
  1. "Wexford County Council Minute Books". Wexford County Archive. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  2. "Wexford Courthouse". Wexford Hub. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. "County Council Minutes" (PDF). Wexford County Council. 26 May 1930. p. 45. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  4. "County Hall, Hill Street, Wexford". Wexford Hub. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  5. Cullen, Conor (27 September 2011). "Council officially open new €46m headquarters". Gorey Guardian. Independent News and Media. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. "Official Opening of Wexford Courthouse - Courts Bundle PPP". BAM Ireland. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  7. "S.I. No. 215/2014 - Local Government Reform Act 2014 (2014 Establishment Day) Order 2014" (PDF). Irish Statute Book. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  8. "Revised Electoral Areas 2018". Wexford County Council. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  9. "S.I. No. 637/2018 - County of Wexford Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018". electronic Irish Statute Book. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. "2014 Local elections: Wexford County Council". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  11. Walsh, Dan. "Andrew Bolger is Gorey's new Council member". Wexford Today.
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