Under the 2001 Local Government Act, Local Authorities have a legal obligation to hold City/County Council and Area Committee meetings. Dublin City Council has five Area Committees, which cover one or more local electoral areas within the City.
This ensures that the local community is democratically represented and gives them a voice in how their area is run.

Area Committees deal with local issues, things like community development projects, local area plans and local traffic management issues and where something arises that may have a city wide impact, it is referred to the relevant Policy Committee or the full City Council whichever is appropriate.

As the majority of local problems are discussed and resolved at Area Committee meetings, this enables the City Council meetings to concentrate on the larger issues facing the City, such as, strategic planning for regional water and waste management, adopting the Annual Budget and implementing bye-laws.