Louth councillor says he won’t withdraw ‘council has failed Drogheda’ remark

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

Calls to restore Drogheda Borough Council have returned to the political agenda after councillors backed a motion seeking Government support to reintroduce borough‑level powers to Ireland’s largest town.

The motion, tabled by Cllr Kevin Callan at February’s meeting of Drogheda Borough District, comes as the national Local Democracy Taskforce prepares to publish its recommendations this spring.

Cllr Callan said the timing offered “a genuine pathway” to reverse some of the sweeping changes introduced under the Local Government Act 2014, which abolished town councils—including Drogheda’s—and replaced them with municipal districts.

“We need borough‑level powers to be brought back to Drogheda,” he said. “Louth County Council has had to deal with the repercussions of this act, which was not a good piece of legislation at all in hindsight.”

He noted that he is the last former Borough Councillor still serving on Louth County Council, having been first elected in 2009. The newly built civic offices in the town, he argued, were “worthy” of the full administrative powers previously held locally, including planning, housing and operational services.

Cllr Callan highlighted a series of unsuccessful campaigns over the past 15 years—including a boundary review and the long‑running bid for city status—as justification for renewed focus on restoring the Borough Council.

“We’ve had a boundary review that did not succeed, a 15‑year campaign for city status that has not delivered,” he said.

Cllr Paddy McQuillan was sharply critical of the impact of the 2014 reforms.

“Since the Local Government Act, Drogheda has gone backwards at one hundred miles an hour,” he said. He pointed to dereliction in the town centre and major infrastructure delays—such as the Port Access Northern Cross Route—as examples.

“It’s like Louth County Council has failed Drogheda, that’s what I believe.”

Cllr Pio Smith said he fully backed efforts to “restore local democracy with borough councils,” but criticised the Local Democracy Taskforce for failing to include key Drogheda issues—such as city status or reinstating Borough Councils—in its terms of reference.

He argued that the Taoiseach could restore Borough Councils “if he wanted to,” and noted recent expressions of interest from Micheal Martin in doing so.

Cllr Declan Power said the town suffered a “real deficit” under the current structure.

“As the largest town in Ireland, Drogheda doesn’t have a governance model that reflects its scale and ambition. Decision‑making has become more distant and less visible,” he said. “Restoring Borough Councils isn’t about nostalgia – it’s about effective governance.”

Cllr Debbie McCole said Sinn Féin supported the intent of the motion but warned against reinstating the Borough Council “in its previous form.”

“Drogheda has evolved massively since 2014,” she said, adding that her party’s priority remained achieving city status for the town. The motion, she said, could only be supported as “an interim measure.”

Cllr Eric Donovan also backed the motion: “We should have the power to make our own decisions in Drogheda.”

Cllr Anne Marie Forde praised the campaign for city status but said public sentiment on the ground remained strongly in favour of restoring the Borough Council.

“When canvassing in my first election, the most frequent issue raised was the call for Drogheda to be a Borough Council again,” she said.

Cllr Ejiro O’Hare Stratton supported the push for “stronger local representation,” describing the motion as “a start” on the road to greater autonomy.

Cllr James Byrne said he supported the proposal but added that “the reality may be some powers return, not full Borough Council status.”

Mayor Michelle Hall supported steps to enhance local democracy, but criticised the taskforce’s process, saying councillors had not been consulted or asked for submissions.

“We have the worst local democracy in Europe—apart from Hungary, which is practically a totalitarian state,” she said. She highlighted that the Labour Party had made its own submission calling for increased direct services and reduced outsourcing.

David Jones, Director of Services at Louth County Council, rejected earlier comments that the council had “failed Drogheda” and said the local authority was obliged to work within the limits of the 2014 Act.

When asked by the Mayor if he wished to withdraw his remark that Louth County Council had failed the town, Cllr McQuillan replied: “No, I’m not going to withdraw it.”