Significant opposition against the unification of Waterford County Council and Waterford City Council has been lodged in thirty submissions to the Waterford Local Government
Committee set up to review local government in the county.
Approx 32 submissions have been made to the Committee and it is believed that 30 are against amalgamation and only two infavour of it. The Committee will make recommendations to the Minister for the Environment in a report not later than February 29 next.
Waterford County Mayor,Liam Brazil (FG), who is opposed to the unification of both local authorities, said amalgamation would be devastating for the County Council. The proposal to link both city and county seemed to be based on the ‘county jersey’ sports thinking. Waterford city would be better off united with Ferrybank and the area north of the River Suir rather than Dungarvan, which should be the central focus for the county, he said. The Mayor of Waterford Pat Hayes (Lab) said amalgamation of the city and county would reduce the city’s ability to be the ‘driver’ economically in the South East Region.
