Posted online: Jun 26th, 2009

By Dermot Keys
Reporter

THE increased number of seats in the Electoral Areas of Letterkenny and Inishowen will lead to a new dynamic between urban and rural councillors but is justified by the population trends of those areas, according to a Donegal County Councillor.
Cllr Dessie Larkin was responded to comments made by the newly-elected Mayor of Donegal, Brendan Boyle, criticising the fact that the Donegal and Glenties Electoral Areas had each lost a seat under the newly-configured boundaries.
The Mayor claimed it would transfer more power to the larger towns and to the north of the county.
Mayor Boyle had said the new boundaries would make it difficult for the south and south west areas of Donegal to gain equal representation in Lifford.
“We now have more or less 50 per cent of the council, which I think shows the population trends of those two areas,” said Cllr Larkin.
“The two largest urban centres are Letterkenny and Buncrana and there is also the influence of the border in Inishowen.”
Cllr Larkin said that decisions made in the council were more likely to reflect the recently-formed alliance between Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and Labour than any geographical bias.
Letterkenny would inevidably be the catalyst for investment in the whole of Donegal, the councillor added, because of its role as a Gateway Town and Donegal’s largest urban area; this made it critical that Letterkenny and Derry acquired the type of projects and investment that would benefit all of Donegal.
The expansion of Letterkenny Electoral Area to a seven-seater is likely to lead to a new dynamic and one in which the interests of those in the old Milford Electoral Area would have to be represented. Letterkenny and Inishownen both have seven seats but also cover broad geographical areas.
Cllr Larkin said that rural councillors could now influence decisions in relation to rural areas and both rural and urban councillors would have to work together in a mutually beneficial way.