About Us
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is a Local Authority serving a population of approximately 233,000 people. We are one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on its abolition in 1994 and our responsibilities include housing, community, roads and transportation urban planning and development, amenities, culture and environment in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county.
Our county administration is headed by Frank Curran, Chief Executive, and has offices at Dún Laoghaire and Dundrum. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has 40 elected members.
Our Vision
The vision for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is to embrace inclusiveness, champion quality of life through healthy placemaking, grow and attract a diverse innovative economy and deliver this in a manner that enhances our environment for future generations.
History
The Council of the electoral County of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was established in 1985 with 28 members. Its members also sat as members of Dublin County Council and members from three electoral areas were also the members of Dún Laoghaire Corporation.
On 1 January 1994, under the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993, County Dublin and the Borough of Dún Laoghaire ceased to exist with the new county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown succeeding in the area of the electoral county. Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire Corporation also ceased to exist and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council came into being.
The two sides of the county have distinct histories in terms of local government structures. On the Dún Laoghaire side of the county, the Borough of Dún Laoghaire had been established by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1930 as a successor body to urban districts of Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock, Dalkey, and Killiney and Ballybrack. A Board of Town Commissioners for Kingstown had been established in 1834 and was subsequently renamed the Kingstown Urban District Council and then Dún Laoghaire Urban District Council. On the Rathdown side of the county, Rathdown No. 1 Rural District Council was established under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. Rathdown No. 1 Rural District Council was abolished by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1930.
On its formation, the Town Hall in Dún Laoghaire became the headquarters of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It was subsequently renamed County Hall.
The Local Government Act 2001 reformed the two-tier structure of local government. It confirmed the size of the council as 28 members. Under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, the size of the council was increased to 40 members as part of a nationwide reallocation of local authority membership numbers.
What we do
We aim to promote the well-being and prosperity of our county and to ensure that the needs of our citizens are met in an effective and efficient manner.
- Provide Services – we are responsible for providing a range of services to the local community, such as roads, housing, planning and development, recycling and waste management, libraries, parks and recreational facilities.
- Community development – we work to promote the economic, social and cultural development of our county through our support of community and voluntary groups across the county.
- Representation – county councillors are elected by the people of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown to represent their interests and make decisions on behalf of the local communities. They work to ensure that the needs and concerns of the citizens are taken into account when making decisions about local policies.
- Regulation – we are responsible for regulating certain activities in the county, including planning and building regulations, environmental protection and various licenses.
For more information see the County Development Plan 2022-2028 below.
