Our Community

Galway City Council

Galway city is the capital of the west of Ireland and has vibrant commercial, industrial, cultural, tourism, educational and administrative sections. Galway City Council plays a major role in the development of the city. It provides a range of services in the infrastructural area. It is custodian of the environment and, through its planing and environmental policies, seeks to enhance the city while protecting its unique character and atmosphere. It plays an active role in the development of the city's industry, business, social, arts heritage and cultural affairs.



Because of the Irish system of local government, which encompasses both democratic representation and public administration, Galway City Council, as a local authority, performs both a representational and an operational role.



The representational role of Galway City Council is performed directly by the elected members of the Council - 15 councillors. There are fifteen (15) elected members who are elected from three local electoral areas i.e. seven from the North & East Ward, five from the West Ward and three from the South Ward. These members (i.e. Councillors) are elected according to a system of proportional representation for a period of five years. The Mayor is elected from the membership of the council at a statutory meeting of the City Council which is held in July each year. It is implicit in their elected status that local authority members have the function of representing the people of their area and certain functions of the local authority are reserved as the exclusive perogative of the elected members as distinct from the functions exercisable by the Manager of the local authority. These are known as "Reserved Functions" and they lay down the framework under which the City Manager operates.



These functions include:



* adoption of annual Estimate of Expenses:

* making or varying the Development Plan (5 yearly):

* adoption of scheme of letting priorities for local authority housing:

* making, amending and revoking bye-laws:

* approval for borrowing money:

* declaration of roads to be public roads:



The City Council makes its decisions by "Resolution" at its meetings.



The operational role of Galway City Council is performed by the City Manager and his staff. They are responsible for the day to day administration of the City Council. The City Manager performs what are called "Executive Functions" and his decisions are made by written "Manager's Order".



The City Manager, in making his decisions, must act in a way that is consistent with the policy which has been established by the elected members and have regard to their wishes, while at the same time, advising the members on the performance of their reserved functions.





Strategic Policy Commitees



Proposals for the reform of local Government in Ireland were published in a booklet called “Better Local Government – A Programme for Change” in December, 1996. The objective of the Programme is to create a modern efficient and properly resourced system of local government, based on the following core principles:



1. Enhancement of local democracy.

2. Improvement of customer service.

3. Developing efficiency.

4. Provision of proper resources.



The programme involves the establishment of Strategic Policy Committees to enhance the policy-making role of the Councillor. The Strategic Policy Committee will examine particular policy areas in detail and report on necessary changes to the full City Council. The Committees are comprised of elected members (Councillors) and external representatives of bodies/sectors relevant to the particular committees’ work.



The City Council has four such committees as follows:-



1. Housing.

2. Roads and Infrastructure.

3. Planning and Environment.

4. Community Development – Social, Cultural and Recreation & Amenity.



The Mayor and the Chairpersons of the Strategic Policy Committees form a Corporate Policy Group, which has a key role in developing an enhanced role for Councillors. This group links the work of the Strategic Policy Committee, acts as a type of Cabinet and provides a forum where policy positions affecting the whole City can be agreed for submission to the full City Council.





Services provided



Services are provided by Galway City Council under the following eight programme groups which are standard to all local authorities:



House Building & Estate Management:

Roads, Transportation & Safety:

Water Supply & Sewerage:

Planning & Development:

Environmental Protection:

Recreation & Amenity:

Agriculture, Education, Health & Welfare:

Miscellaneous.



These include a number of imperatives which must be carried out by the Council, for example:



* Implementation of Social Housing - The Way Ahead:

* Maintenance and Improvement of road network and traffic management:

* Provision and maintenance of water supply and sewerage disposal facilities:

* Provision of a safe and clean environment:

* Adoption and implementation every five years of a Development Plan and Waste Management Plans for the city:

* Adoption annually of the Estimate of Expenses:







Financing of these services



The expenditure of Galway City Council on provision of services can be classified under two headings:



Revenue (or current) Expenditure: i.e. day-to-day provision of services e.g. housing maintenance, roads maintenance, etc.



The main sources of funding for this expenditure are:



* Government grants and subsidies:

* Commercial rates:

* Goods and services (e.g. housing rents, housing loan repayments, fees and charges for services, etc.)



Capital Expenditure: i.e. expenditure on creating assets e.g. house building, major road improvement works, etc.

The main sources of funding for this expenditure are:



* Capital grants from central government:

* Borrowing

* Other capital receipts e.g. sale of lands.







How the operations of the Local Authority are regulated:



The operations of Local Authorities are regulated by:



* EU Directives:

* National legislation:

* Local legislation i.e. Bye Laws.

* Adopted policies of the Council:



In addition, a range of rules, procedures, and guidelines are used by the Local Authority in making its decisions, determinations and recommendations under the many schemes operated by it.



A full list of these items has been published in a separate manual, on a functional basis produced in accordance with Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act, 1997.



Accountability:



The Accounts of the Local Authority are subject to audit by the Local Government Auditor, who is employed by the Department of the Environment. Local Authorities are subject to investigation by the Ombudsman.



To visit the Galway City Council Website click here