Cork City Council and Cork County Council have unveiled an awareness campaign aimed at the 85,000 citizens in the county that are due to transfer to the city next month as part of an expansion of the city boundary.
Both councils have teamed up to distribute leaflets on the transfer, which will see people living in satellite towns like Ballincollig, Blarney, Tower and Glanmire – as well as suburbs such Douglas, Donnybrook, Grange, Frankfield, Rochestown and Togher – move from the county to the city on May 31st.
In a joint statement, Cork City Council and Cork County Council said significant work has been done to ensure a smooth transition of over 400 services from the county area to the city.
“As part of the change, 203 staff will transfer from Cork County Council to Cork City Council. All services such as roads, planning and environment currently operated by Cork County Council will be managed by Cork City Council from May 31st,” said the two councils in their statement.
Cork City Council will levy rates in the transition area from January 1st, 2020, as the city expands in a move that will see its administrative area increase by almost 400 per cent and its population increase by almost 70 per cent to 210,000 overnight.
The expansion of the city to include areas previously under Cork County Council control, contiguous to the city boundary, follows the report of an Expert Advisory Group on Local Government Arrangements chaired by former chief planner for Scotland, Jim Mackinnon, published in June 2017.
Electorally, the move will see up to 62,567 votes transfer from Cork County Council to Cork City Council in time for the local and European elections on May 24th with the new Cork City Council returning the same number of councillors (31) that sit on the existing council.
According to the joint statement, polling cards will issue in advance of the May 24th elections and will provide details of polling stations, but citizens are asked to visit checktheregister.ie to ensure that their vote is registered correctly.
Mayor of Cork Cllr Mick Finn welcomed the expansion, pointing out the expansion on May 31st will mark the first boundary extension for Cork City in 50 years and will have "hugely positive implications for housing, transport and other infrastructural development and investment in the years ahead.
“In the coming days, leaflets will be delivered to homes and businesses coming in to the city and we look forward to welcoming you in and explaining how Cork City Council will operate for you”
Cork county mayor Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy said Cork County Council will be contacting every customer and business that has a relationship with the council in the areas that are being transferred.
“As County Mayor, I thank you for working with us and I assure you that Cork County Council will advise all our citizens of what this means for them and we are here to answer your queries. It has been a pleasure to serve you.”
A list of frequently asked questions regarding the change, together with an interactive map highlighting the boundary change, is available online at corkcity.ie and corkcoco.ie.
Both councils have also established information lines. Cork City Council can be contacted on 021 492 4444, and Cork County Council can be contacted on 021 428 5054.
