Local Government Reform Submission

Submission on local government reform

By Cllr Keith Martin, Westport Town Council.

33 Pairc na Coille

Westport

Mayo

 

Ireland has one of the weakest forms of local government in Europe.  It is essentially a form of central government dominated local administration, more appropriate to a colony than an independent modern European country.

 

It is appalling that we have centrally appointed managers making executive decisions for our cities, counties and towns instead of the people’s representatives.  This lack of accountability results in the unelected management of local authorities being too powerful when they really should have no power at all.  Management should be there to manage and advise not to set policy or take decisions.

 

Unlike Europe local authorities in Ireland have no real say in issues such as education, health, policing, transport and traffic which are all vital issues which impact on everyone’s day to day life.

 

I believe that the best government is the government which takes place at the lowest possible and realistic level.  I believe reform of local government is vital.

 

I propose the following measures as vital to any real reform

• The position of County/City/Town Manager must be abolished and replaced by a Chief Executive of the Council. Chief Executives will exercise a limited range of executive functions, similar to those which were originally intended in the City and County Management Acts. Chief Executives will have no policy making functions other than to assist and advise the elected Council in the making of policy.

• Each Local Authority must have a directly elected mayor for the five year term of the Council with executive powers.  It is no good directly electing a mayor who has no powers over the executive staff.  The powers of the Mayor could be tempered by the councillors.  This office would carry with it responsibility for most decisions in association with a small cabinet of councillors.

• We must strengthen the role of the elected council, in order to provide the citizen with accountable public services. Councillors will have power to seek accountability from any agency, whether public or private, which is providing public services in their area. Councillors will have power to seek reports from service providers and to question, in public, the appropriate managers on aspects of their service.

• Councils should have a consumer protection role in relation to private sector services. Private refuse collectors, telecoms, private schools, local rail and airline services, local banks and cable TV providers will be amenable to public questioning by the elected representatives of the people, on their public service remit.

• Town councils should be expanded to take in greater areas of newly expanded housing.

• Local government needs to be funded directly, independent of central government with central government providing money for devolved powers such as schools, policing, health and traffic management.

 

The benefits of a directly elected mayor at town and city/county level are many.

1. Visible and accountable leadership.
2. Likely to be powerful leaders by nature.
3. Open up politics to civic leaders and business people.
4. Will wield “clout” on behalf of their authority with national government and other public and private bodies.
5. Transparency of the directly elected Mayor would lead to less corruption, not more.

 

The current system of local government doesn’t work.  It is distant, unresponsive and unanswerable to the citizens it is supposed to serve.

 

We need to give authorities directly elected mayors with a mandate and vision for their town’s future, give councillors more powers to effect change and policy and remove the role of officials from policy and let mayors make the day to day decisions based on advice from their officials.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely

Councillor Keith Martin

Westport Town Council

Phone/Fax 098 24852

Mobile 086 0691182

Website www.VoteKeithMartin.com