The act was introduced as a bill on 15 October 2013 by Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and signed into law on 27 January 2014 by President Michael D.
After the 2011 general election, the new Fine Gael–Labour coalition's programme for government promised reform and rationalisation of local authorities, both to enhance democratic accountability and local power, and as part of a broader range of spending cuts in response to the state's ongoing financial crisis.
[4] The minister established a boundary commission to define local electoral areas for the 2014 election, including the Action Programme within its terms of reference.
[8][9] Part 11 of the act provided for a process leading to a directly elected mayor for the Dublin Metropolitan Area.
[10][11] The Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (AMAI), which represented the town and borough councils abolished under the act, objected to the bill.
[19] In March 2015, then Labour Party ministers Brendan Howlin and Alan Kelly expressed dissatisfaction with the abolition of town councils.
[20] Howlin regretted having acquiesced to Fine Gael minister Phil Hogan, who championed the proposal.
[20] The Irish Independent reported in November 2015 that the Fianna Fáil manifesto for the 2016 election would promise to restore town councils.