Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has called on the Government to reverse the proposal to remove councillors from Harbour Boards.
The Harbours (amendment) Bill 2008, which is currently before the Senate proposes to remove local representatives from Harbour Boards by ending the practice whereby local authorities appointed members to Harbour Boards.
Cllr Martin says "I cannot understand why the government would want to see local authority membership wiped from the boards of the ports throughout this country. I cannot understand why the Government is so intent on taking away functions from local authority members. Councillors want real input into local government.
"We have the promise of local government reform from the Minister of the Environment and for an increase in powers for local councillors then on the other hand we have his colleague in the Department of the Marine stripping communities of their representation on Harbour Boards. When you consider the potential for Westport's Harbour and how important it is to Westport's future development it is crazy of the Minister to bar councillors from serving on Westport's Harbour Board.
Cllr Martin says he will be raising this issue with the other members of Westport Town Council and with the two councillors currently serving on Westport Harbour Board, but in the meantime he said he would be contacting the Minister to protest at the proposal.
"The Minister can make the changes that are definitely needed, but he does not have to do this at the expense of local democracy and local government."
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2 comments:
I entirely agree with you. This is an erosion of powers from councils. I am raising this with Wexford Harbour Commissioners tomorrow night. this is centralisation as the minister in Dublin will have more of an input into what goes on than local authorities
Joe, its typical. The government keep talking about reform and empowerment but in reality they keep reducing our roles.
The public think that they are doing something positive but in the shadows they cutting us down.
I have emailed Gormley and the Dept of the Marine to express my disgust.
We need real powers to effect real change in our communities.
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