Letter to the editor

Dear Editor

 

What's wrong with our local government?

 

Democracy is defined for me as a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" and the ultimate example of this should be your local council.  There is nothing more democratic than the people of a town or an area getting together to decide how they want their community run and who they want to run it for them.

 

However Ireland's system of local government is not designed to allow that to happen, where we are supposed to have a "local government" we have "local administration" from central government in Dublin.

 

Over the last eight decades, since the introduction of the Cork City Management Act 1929, which paved the way for a system of Town/County/City Managers with executive functions there has been a massive erosion of power and policy making from councillors. 

 

While the Act was supposed to professionalise the business of the council it has instead facilitated a powerful independent rival policy branch of full-time officials who are largely unaccountable to councillors in the day to day running of the council but who are accountable to central government.

 

The fact that the powers of the council are divided up into executive functions (ie powers of the manager) and reserved functions (ie powers of the councillors) should be cause for concern.  What other system of government would allow for unelected officials to have such powers?  Would An Taoiseach or the Minister for Local Government appreciate it if their Departmental Secretary had such powers?  So why is it good enough for local government?

 

The fact that the management have such powers sets them up as a rival policy and power unit within local government with a huge scope as reserved functions (ie powers of councillors) are written down and clearly defined, but executive functions (ie powers of the managers) are defined as "all those powers not defined as reserved functions. 

 

However, it should be remembered that a majority of the council can overturn almost any executive function but it is my opinion that management should only carry out the decisions of the councillors and not exercise independent executive functions. 

 

While our system of local government is based on that of the UK there are huge differences in the powers of Irish councils compared with those in the EU.  For example health, welfare, policing, water, waste management, public transport, education and roads are all powers usually covered by local authorities throughout the EU, but not in Ireland. 

 

Another problem is the fact that central government keeps removing functions from Town Councils like Westport instead of adding to our functions.  In the last ten years all of Westport Town Council's staff have ceased to be employed by us and are employed by Mayo County Council instead, imagine the power that gives the County Manager over Westport Town Council?

 

Examples of the transfers of powers are:

Water Services transferred from Town Councils to County Councils.
National Roads transferred from Local Authorities to National Roads Authority.
Environmental Licencing and Monitoring transferred from local authorities to Environmental Protection Agency.
Health Services transferred from Regional Health Boards (with local authority members) to Health Services Executive.
Waste Management transferred from Town Councils to County Councils.
Planning powers for major infrastructural projects transferred from local authorities to Bord Pleanala.
Setting of speed limits within town boundaries transferred from Town Councils to County Councils.
Taxi licencing transferred from Town Councils to Taxi Regulator
Landlord registration transferred from Town Councils to County Councils.
County Managers have been replaced by Directors of Services as Town Managers. 
Housing functions and powers including housing of Travellers transferred from elected members to County and City Managers.

Contrary to its commitments under the Maastricht Treaty to empower local government Ireland has moved to transfer powers further from citizens by transferring powers from Town Councils to County Councils and from County Councils to County Managers and from county level to new non elected bodies such as the National Roads Authority and An Bord Pleanala.  In addition, a range of new non elected bodies have been established at local and national levels with new powers and functions e.g. City and County Development Boards, Leader Groups, Environmental Protection Agency and the Health Services Executive.

 

Finally the idea that the leadership of councils can be handed around like the chairmanship of a sports club must cease!  Civic leadership and a strengthening of democracy can only take place when towns and communities directly choose their own Mayor.  The idea of a rotating chairmanship of Westport Town Council and Mayo County Council must cease as the "muggins turn" system provides for disjointed leadership of greatly varying quality. 

 

Directly elected mayors with real powers and functions would be a powerful counterbalance to the powers of City/County Managers and would strengthen local democracy.  Directly elected mayors would be directly answerable to the electorate and with real powers and responsibilities could respond to local needs and accelerate progress.

 

Only when the citizens can choose their mayors to provide leadership and elect councillors who have the range of powers to govern effectively will we have a local government "of the people, by the people, for the people".

 

Yours sincerely

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

33 Pairc na Coille

Westport

Co. Mayo

 

098 25747 w

086 0691182 m