Local elections 2024 explainer: How many councillors are in Ireland and how much are they paid?

These elections are held every five years in either May or June.

Members of the local community are asked to elect councillors who will represent their community in local authorities.

Here’s everything you need to know before June’s elections:

How many councillors are elected and where?

This year, 949 council seats are available across 31 Local Government Authorities.

The 31 Local Government Authorities in Ireland include County Councils and City Councils.

Each county and city council is divided into local electoral areas. Each local electoral area has a specified number of council seats to be filled in the election.

In total, there are 166 electoral areas in Ireland and each of them elects a number of councillors. The number of councillors to be elected nationally is 949.

What do councillors do?

Local councillors make policy decisions at local level including in areas such as; planning, roads, traffic, housing, environmental services, recreation, community development; formal civic functions; a general representational and oversight role; and citizen/community engagement.

The role of a councillor is considered a part-time position, however many representatives consider the post a full-time job.

Are councillors paid?

Councillors get an annual salary of €28,145, which is taxable and an additional allowance of €3,162.36 a year. Both are paid monthly.