The re-instatement of Town Councils in areas like Clare could be one step closer to reality, following a Dáil vote.
80 municipal authorities across the country including in Ennis, Shannon, Kilrush and Kilkee were abolished in 2014, as part of a range of local Government reforms aimed at saving the taxpayer money.
Fianna Fáil put forward a proposal calling for the councils to be reinstated, a move Fine Gael previously labelled as political football, and the Government has now suffered defeat by a single vote.
Former Ennis Town Councillor, Fianna Fáil’s Michael Guilfoyle, who has been outspoken in his opposition to abolish them in the first place, says they did valuable work: