Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I speak today as a proud voice for Clonmel, a town with a borough charter dating back to 1608 and a place of deep history and extraordinary community spirit. Clonmel has felt the loss of its borough council profoundly since its abolition in 2014. Decision-making drifted from the people. Civic pride diminished. The unique identity of our town, forged over centuries, was quietly eroded. Does the Tánaiste agree that the abolition of borough and town councils was a mistake? The programme for Government pledges a pathway back to town-level democracy. I ask the Tánaiste to honour that pledge. Clonmel is not just a town. It is a living borough. It is home to the great outdoors, rich in culture and strong in employment. I ask that our borough council, one of only five in the country, be restored, not for the sake of nostalgia but as an act of justice and to bring about meaningful local government, renewal and the beginning of something better. The people of Clonmel are crying out for their independence from Tipperary County Council and the power base that is Nenagh.

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