Kerry County Council

Kerry County Council (Comhairle Contae Chiarraí) is the local authority of County Kerry, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 33 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (chairperson). Since 21 June 2024, Breandán Fitzgerald of Fianna Fáil has served in the role. The county administration is headed by a chief executive, Moira Murrell. The county town is Tralee.

1898 to 1922
Kerry County Council was established on 1 April 1899 for the administrative county of County Kerry under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, legislation passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, of which Ireland formed a part at that time. The 1898 Act introduced elected county councils to Ireland, following their establishment in England and Wales in 1889 and Scotland in 1890. The first election was held on 6 April 1899, and the council first met on 22 April. The first council had 30 members. Of these, 22 were directly elected for single-member county electoral divisions. The remainder of the council consisted of the chairmen of the 6 rural district councils, who were ex officio members, and an additional 2 members who were chosen by co-option. The council initially met in the former Grand Jury room of the Tralee Courthouse in Nelson Street (now Ashe Street), and elections of the entire council were held every three years.

In January 1910 the council moved its headquarters to a purpose-built county hall on Godfrey Place. The method of election was changed to proportional representation under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919, with the first elections under the new system held on 2 June 1920. The election took place during the Irish War of Independence, and control of the council was won by Sinn Féin. The building was set on fire by British Black and Tans during the Siege of Tralee of November 1920.

Post-independence
Following the independence of the Irish Free State in 1922, responsibility for local government was taken by the new government.

During the Irish Civil War, the government used its powers to dissolve the council in May 1923, with a commissioner appointed to conduct the business of the council. A new council was elected in May 1926. The council moved to new premises, the Ashe Memorial Hall, Denny Street, Tralee in March 1928. In September 1930 the council was again dissolved and a commissioner appointed. Following the election of a Fianna Fáil government, the Councillors displaced in 1930 were restored to office in May 1932.

In 1942 the number of Councillors was reduced from 30 to 26. At the same time, the county management system was introduced. The council was again dissolved in May 1945, with elections resuming in October 1948. In 1953 the term of office for councillors was increased from 3 to 5 years, and in 1985 the number of Councillors was increased to 27. In January 1989 the council moved to Áras an Chontae, Rathass.

The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment.

Regional Assembly
Kerry County Council has two representatives on the Southern Regional Assembly who are part of the South-West Strategic Planning Area Committee.

Elections
Members of Kerry County Council are elected for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) from multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).

Local electoral areas and municipal districts
County Kerry is divided into LEAs and municipal districts, defined by electoral divisions.

Councillors
The following were elected at the 2024 Kerry County Council election.

Councillors by electoral area
This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.