Cork council merger: Citizens to elect mayor directly

The board of Duhallow considered the proposal to extend the Cork metropolitan area. What we would like to see is that the county and city authorities amalgamate as a single local authority, with a mayor elected directly by the people, writes Maura Walsh

Underneath this structure we would seek to have municipal districts and city wards funded and resourced by amalgamated structures — there should be 13, going on the existing municipals and wards. All municipal districts and city wards would have equal status.

Work needs to be done to decide what responsibilities each structure should have, which duties would fall to the central structure and which to the municipal districts and city wards.