Changes to have ‘no real effect’ on councillors

CHANGES, outlined last week, to the electoral boundaries in Galway will “have no real effect” on representation in the Loughrea Electoral Area, local councillors have claimed.

 

The Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report published on Thursday recommends changes in electoral areas around the country.

According to Fianna Fáil councillor Gerry Finnerty, the boundary changes won’t have much impact on South Galway.

“Gort is still in Loughrea Electoral Area, with Loughrea as the main town. Gort is still with its back to the wall really, adjacent to the County Clare border, so overall this will have no real effect on us,” he said.

“There is an area in South-East Galway in Woodford and in the border area with Clare where there was speculation that Portumna would move from the Loughrea Electoral Area but if that happened, it would have been very difficult to get proper representation for this area because it is so sparsely populated. That hasn’t happened and I think that is a good thing,” he added.

With the new boundary, Loughrea Electoral Area will have eight councillors, an increase of one on its current figure. Under the recommendations of the report, town councils are to be abolished, meaning Loughrea will lose its town councillors.
Last week’s report also sees the removal of Athenry and its immediate hinterland to the Athenry-Oranmore Electoral Division but Derrew, Kilquain and Tiranascragh, all currently in the Ballinasloe Electoral Area, will move to the Loughrea Electoral Area.

The boundary of the Loughrea Electoral Area now runs north of Doorus, Killeenavarra, Drumacoo, Killeely, Moyode, Kiltullagh, Raford, Bullaun, Kilreekill, Abbeygormacan, Derrew, Kilquain and Tirnanscragh.
Fine Gael Councillor Peter Feeney is based in Athenry, Councillors Michael Fahy (Ind) and Bridie Willers (FG) both have addresses in Ardrahan,  independent Councillor Pat Hynes is based in Loughrea, as is Fine Gael’s Michael Maher, fellow Fine Gael councillor Jimmy McClearn is in Killimor and Fianna Fáil’s Gerry Finnerty is based in Ballymurphy, Gort.

Councillor Bridie Willers believes the impact of the changes on next year’s local election candidates are difficult to predict.

“As of now, it makes very little difference to our situation in the Loughrea Electoral Area. Athenry is gone to Oranmore and that would primarily be Peter Feeney’s territory.

“I’m not 100% sure really what it will mean but with the town council being disbanded in Loughrea, maybe there will be a lot more people going for election in this area. It is hard to call and no one knows anything definitively as yet,” she commented.