Publication of draft cities bill a 'historic day' on Drogheda's journey to achieving city status

Deputy Joanna Byrne TD with Drogheda City Status Group members Andrine Mendez, Sylvia 
McCann, Ciara MacCormac, Anna McKenna and Anthony Murphy at the Cities Bill launch.

Drogheda City Status Group (DCSG) warmly welcomes the publication of a draft Bill which they believe sets out a clear legislative pathway to the creation of a city administration for Drogheda.

DCSG members attended the launch of the draft Bill in Drogheda this morning, at the invitation of local Sinn Féin TD Joanna Byrne, who has been working on the Bill with Dáil legislators for over a year.

“This is a historic day on Drogheda’s journey to achieving city status,” said DCSG Chairperson Anna McKenna.

“For the first time, we have a document which sets out a clear legislative route towards creating new cities in Ireland, with Drogheda as its model,” said Anna.

Deputy Byrne said that, “For the first time ever, this paves a way forward for City Status to be granted to the place we call home”.

DCSG agrees with Deputy Byrne that it represents “a seismic step forward” for the Drogheda City Status campaign.

The launch of the bill in The Marcy was attended by Louth TDs Ruairí Ó Murchú (Sinn Féin), Deputy Ged Nash (Labour), and Senator Alison Comyn (Fianna Fáil). Also in attendance were Mayor Michelle Hall, councillors Debbie McCole and Paddy McQuillan, Superintendent Andrew Watters, members of Drogheda City Status Group, and community representatives.

Drogheda City Status Group was formed in 2009 and its campaign officially launched in 2010. “We have been highlighting Drogheda’s growth and neglect for 16 years,” said Anna McKenna. 

“But throughout those 16 years, we always believed that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Drogheda has expanded massively, beyond all predictions, with an urban population now of 54,000 inhabitants. Both the EU and the OECD stipulate an urban population of 50,000 in order for a settlement to be considered a city. 

“Now, finally, we have not only the population to make Drogheda Ireland’s sixth city, but we also have a clearly defined legislative mechanism to achieve our aims – and that will not require the introduction of complex new legislation, but rather some minor amendments to existing legislation.

“We congratulate Deputy Byrne and the legislative experts in Dáil Éireann who have worked so hard on producing this document, and we look forward to working with Government representatives, political parties and local councillors in achieving the ultimate goal for Drogheda – a declaration of city status, with a city council or administration and a city manager or CEO for Drogheda,” Anna said.

“We urge all our legislators and public representatives to support Drogheda’s campaign for city status. Drogheda’s time has come. It’s time to put party politics to one side and to acknowledge that the achievement of city status for Drogheda will help Ireland’s newest city to thrive. This is a landmark moment in our campaign, and we believe that if everybody works towards it, it will happen,” she concluded.


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