Plan for county to city area transition to be published

A PLAN to smooth the transition of a number of county areas into the city in May will be published in the coming weeks.

Ballincollig, Douglas, Grange, Glanmire, Blarney and Cork Airport will all be subsumed into the city as part of the city boundary extension. It will see the city’s population increase by 85,000 people and will involve the transfer of hundreds of staff from County Hall to City Hall.

Minister for Local Government John Paul Phelan plans are progressing and are on target for the transfer of lands and staff to be completed by the end of May.

“Responsibility for the detailed planning and implementation of the reorganisation process rests primarily with the two local authorities, subject to guidance and oversight by the Oversight Committee and compliance with the Implementation Plan,” he said. “The Committee has advised my Department that work is continuing in a timely fashion towards the transfer day of 31 May 2019. The statutory implementation plan is expected to be published in the coming weeks.

“Work on staff transfer plans and the financial settlement is also progressing and I am satisfied with the engagement and the level of readiness in the local authorities and the implementation oversight by the Oversight Committee.”