‘Two tier’ Mayo? - Town Council return ‘unanimously rejected’ by expert group
The Mayo towns of Westport, Castlebar and Ballina previously had town councils up until they were abolished in 2014
The age-old tension between where taxes are collected and where they are spent is at the heart of the debate about town councils.
The Mayo News can reveal that an expert task force established to examine local government reform has unanimously recommended against restoring town councils.
This comes despite the Taoiseach being openly supportive of their return, a commitment in the Programme for Government, and growing calls for Westport to be included in a pilot scheme.
The Mayo towns of Westport, Castlebar and Ballina previously had town councils up until they were abolished in 2014 by the then Minister for Local Government, Phil Hogan.
The Local Democracy Taskforce, set up by the Government on June 4, 2025 as a key commitment in the Programme for Government, examined the structure, finance, functions and governance of local authorities. However, its findings on the town councils question are set to disappoint those who have long pushed for their return.
Councillor Damien Ryan, a Mayo County Council member who sat on the task force as LAMA Chairperson, said the group was unambiguous in its conclusions. "Fourteen members sat on that task force. Five of them were public representatives, and the rest were from respective departments and officials," he said. "We unanimously decided that town councils and the return of town councils in our report would be a retrograde step."
Cllr Ryan argued that the councils were abolished in 2014 for good reason. "What you had was a two-tier society in every county, and whether you live inside the speed limits or outside the speed limits, you're entitled to the same service and the same level of funding on a per capita basis," he said. In their place, the task force advocated for enhanced municipal districts, devolved powers and dedicated funding for town centres. "No town should be greater than any other," he said.
Westport makes its case
However, not everyone in Mayo shares that view. Former Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council Myles Staunton has called on the taskforce to look to Westport as part of a pilot scheme to eventually restore town councils around the country. His intervention follows comments by Taoiseach Micheál Martin suggesting that town councils could be brought back through a phased pilot in areas where they previously existed.
"The Taoiseach's comments have given towns like Westport a glimmer of hope which Westport should grab with both hands," said Staunton, a well-known solicitor in the town who was first elected as a town councillor in 2004 and served as Cathaoirleach from 2009. "In my view, every public representative should make it a priority in 2026 to do everything they can to make it a reality."
Staunton cited Westport's track record of cooperation between key stakeholders and community groups as evidence that the town would be well suited to any pilot. "Westport is ideally positioned to be included in a pilot scheme. If this occurs, given Westport's track record in cooperation between key stakeholders and community groups in the town, I am certain Westport will not be found wanting," he said.
Political tensions
The question remains contested at the highest level of government. Taoiseach Michael Martin has expressed personal reservations about the 2014 abolition, saying he believed it "was a mistake" because councils "gave a cohesion and sense of community to given towns and allowed them to create a vision for the town." He signalled the report would be brought before the Dáil for debate, and that he intends to examine the question of restoring urban councils.
Minister for Housing and Local Government James Browne also indicated a desire to give councillors more power, saying the system had "way over-corrected" and that he wanted to "get that balance back." He said an important goal was ensuring that when people approach their local representatives, those councillors "can actually implement policies that they want to see deliver for their people on the ground."
Mayo councillors divided
Among Mayo councillors, opinion is sharply split. At Wednesday’s Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District meeting, Cllr Michael Burke said the old councils had been damaging to his area. "The three big centres got the big bundle of money, because that's where the big ratepayers were," he said, adding he believed the issue should be "nailed forever" in Mayo.
Cllr Neil Cruise agreed, saying town councils "will not deliver for a lot of big rural municipal districts like the Claremorris Municipal District." Cllr Richard Finn echoed the sentiment, arguing there had been "a serious equalisation of funding around the municipal area since the town councils were abolished."
Ireland's 80 town councils were abolished in 2014 under the Local Government Reform Act, led by then Fine Gael Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan, which shifted financial decisions to county councils and introduced Municipal Districts. Former town councillors have repeatedly criticised the decision, arguing that towns which previously had their own council are no longer receiving the same level of services and are being neglected.
Cllr Ryan acknowledged the political dimension of the report's fate, saying he could not predict whether "the hierarchy at political level" would intervene, but stressed the task force had been clear. "I give a categorical assurance that our voice would be heard," he said. "The return of town councils is not what anybody should be advocating for."