<P> On 28 June 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan announced that Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council would be merged into a single local council . The proposed merger would come into effect following the 2014 local elections . The new entity would be headed by a directly elected Mayor, with a five - year term . The Minister also said that he would not rule out other local council mergers and that the proposal for a directly elected Mayor for Dublin was being re-examined . </P> <P> On 26 July 2011, the proposed merger of North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council was announced . </P> <P> On 16 October 2012, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government published Putting People First, an "action plan for effective local government". The changes for the 2014 local elections were: </P> <Ul> <Li> A reduction in the number of local authorities from 114 to 31, including the abolition of all town councils (a reduction of 83 councils). </Li> <Li> A reduction in the number of councillors from 1,627 to 949 (a reduction of 678 seats). </Li> <Li> All counties to be divided into "municipal districts", with county councillors also being district councillors . </Li> <Li> Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council to merge . </Li> <Li> Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council to merge . </Li> <Li> North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council to merge . </Li> <Li> Councillors to no longer have the power to overturn planning decisions . </Li> <Li> Local services to be funded by a property tax . </Li> <Li> Existing local authorities in the Dublin area to be retained, but a proposed plebiscite on the introduction of a directly - elected mayor . </Li> </Ul>

A member of a local government is called