‘Ballincollig and Carrigaline are not part of the Cork city’

THE tension over the future of Cork’s city and county councils has intensified, with one county councillor describing comments made by Lord Mayor, Chris O’Leary, as “nonsense”.
Ballincollig-based Fine Gael Councillor Derry Canty, a former Mayor of the county, took issue with Lord Mayor Chris O’Leary for saying that people in Ballincollig and Carrigaline see themselves as being from Cork city.
In the ongoing dispute over whether or not Cork City Council and Cork County Council should merge, the issue of city or county identification has become a significant talking point.
Councillor Canty described the Lord Mayor’s comments as nonsense, insisting that Ballincollig had an identity of its own. “It was a stupid statement. We’re Ballincollig town. We have a population of 18,000 and we have our own community.”
Cllr O’Leary was arguing the case for a major extension of the city boundary to include these satellite towns rather than the total merger of both local authorities proposed by the independent expert group.
Mr Canty described the comments as nonsense, insisting Ballincollig had an identity all of its own. “I was born and raised in Cork City but I have made my home in Ballincollig. I am from Ballincollig, not Cork City.”
Mr Canty said a merger was the only option because Cork City Council refused to accept a “natural” boundary extension.
He said any extension of the city boundary should only include areas such as Lehenaghmore in Togher, Frankfield, Douglas, and greenfield sites just outside the city boundary on the northside.
“What the city council was looking for was ridiculous. They wanted all of metropolitan Cork — places like Carrigaline, Midleton, Little Island, and Ballincollig. That’s 60% of Cork County Council’s commercial rates base. The county council would be unworkable if it had to surrender the entire metropolitan area to Cork City Council. The only other option therefore is the merger.”
The group reviewing the future of local government in Cork is to recommend the merger to the environment minister. for Environment– but the issue has divided the five person committee with two members favouring a boundary extension over an amalgamation.