Wicklow County Council
Wicklow County Council Comhairle Chontae Chill Mhantáin | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1899 |
| Leadership | |
Caroline Winstanley, SD | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 32 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 7 June 2024 |
| Motto | |
| Irish: Meanma Saor "Free Spirits" | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| County Buildings, Wicklow | |
| Website | |
Official website  | |
Wicklow County Council (Irish: Comhairle Chontae Chill Mhantáin) is the local authority of County Wicklow, 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 32 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 chief executive, Emer O'Gorman. The county town is Wicklow.
History
[edit]Wicklow County Council was established on 1 April 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 for the administrative county of County Wicklow.[1][2][3] It succeeded the judicial county of Wicklow, with the addition of the part of the town of Bray which was formerly in County Dublin.[4]
Originally Wicklow County Council held its meetings in Wicklow Courthouse.[5] The county council moved to a new facility, known as County Buildings, in 1977.[6]
Regional Assembly
[edit]Wicklow County Council has three representatives on the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly who are part of the Eastern Strategic Planning Area Committee.[7][8]
Elections
[edit]The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) for the 1920 Irish local elections.[9] County Wicklow was divided into 4 county electoral areas to elect the 20 members of the council.[10] This electoral system has been retained, with 34 members of Wicklow County Council now elected for a five-year term of office from 6 multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).
| Year | FG | FF | SF | GP | Lab | SD | II | WP | Ind. | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 32 | |||||||||
| 2019 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | N/a | 0 | 9 | 32 | |||||||||
| 2014 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | N/a | N/a | 0 | 10 | 32 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | N/a | N/a | 0 | 3 | 24 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 6 | N/a | N/a | 0 | 4 | 24 | |||||||||
| 1999 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | N/a | N/a | 0 | 4 | 24 | |||||||||
| 1991 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5 | N/a | N/a | 1 | 4 | 24 | |||||||||
| 1985 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | N/a | N/a | 1 | 1 | 24 | |||||||||
| 1979 | 8 | 7 | 0 | N/a | 4 | N/a | N/a | 1 | 1 | 21 | |||||||||
Local electoral areas and municipal districts
[edit]County Wicklow is divided into local electoral areas, defined by electoral divisions, for elections to the council, and into municipal districts which exercise powers of the council locally.[11][12]
| Municipal District | LEA | Definition | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arklow | Arklow No. 1 Urban, Arklow No. 2 Urban, Arklow Rural, Aughrim, Avoca, Ballinaclash, Ballinacor, Ballinderry, Ballyarthur, Cronebane, Dunganstown South, Dunganstown West, Ennereilly, Kilballyowen, Kilbride (in the former Rural District of Rathdrum), Kilpipe, Knockrath, and Rathdrum | 6 | |
| Baltinglass | Aghowle, Ballingate, Ballinglen, Ballinguile, Ballybeg, Baltinglass, Blessington, Burgage, Carnew, Coolattin, Coolballintaggart, Coolboy, Cronelea, Donaghmore, Donard, Dunlavin, Eadestown, Hartstown, Hollywood, Humewood, Imael North, Imael South, Kilbride (in the former Rural District of Baltinglass No.1), Killinure, Lackan, Lugglass, Money, Rath, Rathdangan, Rathsallagh, Shillelagh, Stratford, Talbotstown, The Grange, Tinahely, Tober, Togher (in the former Rural District of Baltinglass No.1) and Tuckmill | 6 | |
| Bray | Bray East | Bray No. 1 Urban, Bray No. 2 Urban, Bray No. 3 Urban and Rathmichael (Bray) | 4 |
| Bray West | Enniskerry, Kilmacanoge and Powerscourt | 4 | |
| Greystones | Delgany, Greystones, Kilcoole and Newcastle Lower | 6 | |
| Wicklow | Altidore, Ballycullen, Brockagh, Calary, Dunganstown East, Glendalough, Glenealy, Killiskey, Moneystown, Newcastle Upper, Oldtown, Togher (in the former Rural District of Rathdrum), Trooperstown, Wicklow Rural and Wicklow Urban | 6 | |
Councillors
[edit]The following were elected at the 2024 Wicklow County Council election.
2024 seats summary
[edit]| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Gael | 9 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 4 | |
| Social Democrats | 3 | |
| Green | 2 | |
| Sinn Féin | 2 | |
| Independent Ireland | 1 | |
| Labour | 1 | |
| Independent | 10 | |
Councillors by electoral area
[edit]This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.[13]
| Council members from 2024 election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LEA | Name | Party | |
| Arklow | Pat Kennedy | Fianna Fáil | |
| Peir Leonard | Independent | ||
| Sylvester Bourke | Fine Gael | ||
| Pat Fitzgerald | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Miriam Murphy | Independent | ||
| Warren O'Toole | Sinn Féin | ||
| Baltinglass | Gerry O'Neill | Independent | |
| Edward Timmins[a] | Fine Gael | ||
| Peter Stapleton | Fine Gael | ||
| Avril Cronin | Fine Gael | ||
| Patsy Glennon | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Jason Mulhall | Independent | ||
| Bray East | Aoife Flynn Kennedy[a] | Fine Gael | |
| Erika Doyle | Green | ||
| Ian Neary | Independent Ireland | ||
| Malachaí Duddy | Independent | ||
| Bray West | Joe Behan | Independent | |
| Melanie Corrigan | Fine Gael | ||
| Dermot O'Brien[a] | Sinn Féin | ||
| Caroline Winstanley | Social Democrats | ||
| Greystones | Stephen Stokes | Independent | |
| Tom Fortune | Independent | ||
| Louise Fenelon Gaskin | Fine Gael | ||
| Orla Finn | Independent | ||
| Mark Barry | Social Democrats | ||
| Lourda Scott | Green | ||
| Wicklow | John Snell | Independent | |
| Danny Alvey | Social Democrats | ||
| Gail Dunne | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Shane Langrell | Fine Gael | ||
| Paul O'Brien | Labour | ||
| Graham Richmond | Fine Gael | ||
- Notes
Co-options
[edit]| Party | Outgoing | LEA | Reason | Date | Co-optee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Gael | Edward Timmins | Baltinglass | Elected to 34th Dáil for Wicklow at the 2024 general election | 18 December 2024 | Pat Mahon[14] | |
| Fine Gael | Aoife Flynn Kennedy | Bray East | Resignation[15] | March 2025 | Ned Whelan[16] | |
| Sinn Féin | Dermot O'Brien | Bray West | Resignation[17] | 6 May 2026 | John Ward[18] | |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (c. 37)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives.
- ↑ Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, s. 1: Establishment of county councils (61 & 62 Vict., c. 37 of 1898, s. 1). Enacted on 12 August 1898. Act of the UK Parliament. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ↑ Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, s. 124: Commencement of Act (61 & 62 Vict., c. 37 of 1898, s. 124). Enacted on 12 August 1898. Act of the UK Parliament. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ↑ "Orders declaring the boundaries of administrative counties and defining county electoral divisions: County of Wicklow". 27th Report of the Local Government Board for Ireland (Cmd. 9480). Dublin: Local Government Board for Ireland. 1900. pp. 330–332.
- ↑ "Local Authorities". Dáil Debates. 335 (1). Houses of the Oireachtas. 26 May 1982. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ↑ "Ordinary meeting of Wicklow County Council held at Wicklow County Buildings, Wicklow Town on Monday 3 December 2018 at 2.00pm" (PDF). Wicklow County Council. p. 65. Retrieved 18 November 2019.[dead link]
- ↑ Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014, Article 5 and Schedule 3 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 1 May 2023.
- ↑ "EMRA Members". Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 (c. 19)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives.
- ↑ "Appendix: Local Electoral Areas". Annual report of the Local Government Board for Ireland for year 1921. Local Government Board for Ireland. 1921. p. 19.
- ↑ County of Wicklow Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 (S.I. No. 638 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 23 February 2019.
- ↑ County of Wicklow Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts (Amendment) Order 2019 (S.I. No. 7 of 2019). Signed on 17 January 2019. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 23 February 2019.
- ↑ "RTÉ Elections 2024: Results". RTÉ News. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ↑ Buchanan, Myles (18 December 2024). "Fine Gael's Pat Mahon replaces new TD Edward Timmins on Wicklow County Council". Wicklow People. Retrieved 20 December 2024 – via Irish Independent.
- ↑ Galvin, Tom (21 March 2025). "Wicklow county councillor steps down: 'The greatest privilege has been meeting the people of this county and hearing their stories'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
- ↑ Galvin, Tom (8 May 2025). "Fine Gael selects new county councillor for Wicklow". Bray People. Retrieved 8 May 2025 – via Irish Independent.
- ↑ O'Farrell Walsh, Hugh (8 January 2026). "Shock as Sinn Féin representative becomes second Wicklow councillor to resign in a year". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
- ↑ O'Farrell Walsh, Hugh (5 May 2026). "GAA coach and community barber picked by Sinn Féin for vacant Wicklow County Council seat". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
