Local Electoral Area

A municipal district is a second-level local government area in Ireland which came into being on 1 June 2014, ten days after the local elections. A district associated with a city or borough is termed a metropolitan district or borough district respectively. A local electoral area (often abbreviated as LEA) is an electoral area for local government purposes. In general each municipal district corresponds to a single LEA; however some districts are split into multiple LEAs. In addition, the three cities and three counties which have no district-level subunits are nevertheless split into multiple LEAs. The names and extents of municipal districts and LEAs are defined by statutory instrument in terms of lower-level units called electoral divisions (EDs).

Under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, most first-level areas (counties and cities) are subdivided into municipal districts. All elections use the single transferable vote. Each LEA returns six to ten councillors (except Cork City's, which return four to seven, and where a separate review took place in 2015). Those elected in each LEA serve on the county or city council, and simultaneously on the district council if applicable.

Boundaries are determined by statutory instrument of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. The minister must first establish an independent boundary committee, but need not accept its advice. A boundary committee has been required since 1991 for administrative areas, and since 1994 for electoral areas. The 2012–13 Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee considered both administrative areas (municipal districts, though not counties/cities) and electoral areas. In 2015, separate committees were set up to consider adjustments to county and municipal boundaries passing through each of four urban areas: Athlone, Carlow, Drogheda, and Waterford. The programme of the Fine Gael–led government formed after the 2016 election promises to consider reducing the size (i.e. number of seats) of LEAs.

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