New chamber for extra councillors

A new chamber is to be built for councillors in a Dublin local authority because the current chamber is not big enough to accommodate extra members to be elected under new local government reforms.

The chamber of Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council will not have the capacity for its new elected membership after next year’s local elections, which is expected to see the number of councillors rise from 28 to 40. As a result, plans are already in train to build a new chamber at a cost of at least €800,000.

“Our existing council chamber cannot accommodate an additional 12 councillors in its current format,” read a statement from the council. “It is also not possible to extend the existing chamber due to a lack of available space, restricted access (including disabled access) and the fact that the town hall itself is a protected structure.”