THE 2024 LOCAL elections will take place this Friday on 7 June.

Ahead of casting your vote, here’s an overview of what exactly councillors do and what local authorities have power over. 

Lay of the land

There are 31 local government authorities in Ireland made up of County and City Councils.

Each of these city and county councils are then divided into 166 electoral areas with a varying number of councillors elected to each electoral area. For example, Galway City has three local electoral areas (LEAs).

This time around 949 councillors will be elected across the country. 

Who can become a councillor? 

Anyone over the age of 18 who is a registered voter is eligible to contest a seat as a local councillor. 

There are some restrictions however. These are: 

• You cannot be a member of the Oireachtas
• You cannot be a member of the Gardaí, the Defence Forces and certain other groups of public employees.

Persons who have failed to pay money owed to a local authority and persons with certain court convictions and prison sentences are also disqualified from running in a local election. 

What are the terms of being a councillor? 

Councillors are elected to their positions for a period of five years. 

Their positions are part-time positions but many do the role in a full-time capacity.

Currently, councillors are paid a salary of €28,145 a year and get an allowance of €3,162 per year.

So, what does a councillor do? 

First and foremost, a councillor’s job is to represent the interests of their constituents and to try and make sure the needs of their community are represented in local policy decisions. 

They have the primary oversight role in local authorities. 

Their remit extends over a range of areas including:

• housing and planning
• road improvements and parking zones
• funds for community initiatives
• fire and emergency services
• the record of protected structures
• litter prevention and control
• library services
• promotion of arts and culture 

Councillors also make decisions on the annual budget for the local authority and the rate of local property tax. 

Part of their work is to also decide on different plans such as County/City Development Plans and bye-laws.

They are also responsible for: 

• Overseeing the sale of public land 
• Making sure legislation is complied with
• Scrutinising the annual accounts of the Council 
• Considering annual reports and following up on annual audits

The Department of Housing and Local Government states that part of the role of a councillor is to help individuals, community groups, schools and businesses in accessing appropriate local authority services.

Councillors represent their constituents by attending council, municipal district and committee meetings for which they are a member.

They can also be nominated to participate in a range of other public agencies like Regional Assemblies, Education and Training Boards, Regional Health Fora and Joint Policing Committees.

A more in-depth overview of a councillor’s responsibilities can be found here from the Department of Housing and Local Government. 

What about the chief executive?  

Every local authority has a chief executive.

This is an unelected position, with the holder acting as the senior permanent official in local councils. 

Councillors have specific powers in relation to the chief executive of the council. 

 This includes power in relation to the chief executive’s employment and powers to compel the chief executive to report on certain matters relating to the operation of local authority.