Update from Keith

Putting People First-the end of local democracy?

1. How does the elimination of 75 town councils and 700 local representatives enhance local government and accountability?
2. How do you justify increasing the ratio of councillors from 1 in 2,336 (2nd lowest in EU)  to 1 in 4,800, making us the most under-represented country in the EU.
3. Is it really worth doing to save €6 million?
4. If so, why isn't Greece doing the same (1 councillor per 1,000) or France (1 councillor per 118) or Germany (1 councillor per 350).
5. Why are the same people being elected to both Municipal Area Councils and County Councils, What about the Dual Mandate?
6. Is cutting 7 regional assemblies an increase in local government?
7. Why are there no direct elections to the remaining regional assemblies?
8. Why are you voting to remove Town Councils, Borough Councils and City Councils which have existed separately for centuries in the interests of savings only, taking in no account the historical, economic, cultural, social and morale impact of such a move?  Meanwhile Dublin is to be left as 4 separate local authorities for no good reason.
9. Why has no effort been made to differentiate between effective, efficient and successful councils and other less effective councils?
10. Why are Councillors to be removed from the planning process even further by the removal of their powers under Section 140.  Section 140 is the provision whereby Councillors have the last say over the Executive and is an important piece of legislation which ensures that local government is not solely the purview of unelected officials?
11. Do you not agree that this is a plan of budget cuts, a reduction of local democracy on a scale never seen in a modern European nation and a further centralisation of local government?

A response to Putting People First

	A response to Putting People First
	By Councillor Keith Martin

[Oct 2012]

1.      Ireland is the 2^nd most underrepresented country in the EU when it comes to local government.

2.      The ratio is 1 councillor per 118 per head of population per Councillor in France, 250 per head of population in Sweden and 350 in Germany. This rises to 610 in Spain and 1100 per head of population in Greece and Belgium.

3.      This plan proposes to make this situation worse by increasing the ratio from 1 councillor per 2,336 to 1 councillor per 4,800.

4.      According the McCarthy Report and the AMAI the total saving from abolishing 75 town councils and 700 councillors is just €6 million; that’s a saving of just €80k per council.

5.      This is a further centralisation of power into the hands of fewer councillors which was criticised in the 1991 Barrington report on local government reform.

6.      The average salary of a town councillor is €4,400 before tax.

7.      The total expenditure on councillors, salary, expenses, conferences, study trips, accounts for less than 1% of the total budget of a Town Council.

8.      Town councils are the lowest most effective level of local government, most responsive to the needs of their constituents.

9.      Repeated studies have shown that Town Councils are more efficient and effective than city or county councils.  Source: The Case for Town Local Government in Ireland in the 21st Century' by UCC.

10.  The abolition of Town Councils is directly contrary to the Principles of Local Agenda 21 and the EU principle of Subsidiarity as enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty.

11.  The report seeks to remove Town Councils, Borough Councils and City Councils which have existed separately for centuries in the interests of savings only, taking in no account the historical, economic, cultural, social and morale impact of such a move.  Meanwhile Dublin is to be left as 4 separate local authorities for no good reason.

12.  No effort has been made to differentiate between effective, efficient and successful councils and other less effective councils.

13.  No new powers have been conferred on councillors.

14.  The raising of new taxes such as the Property Tax is to be handed over to the Revenue Commissioners (Irish Times 23 October 2012).

15.  Town Councils are already accountable and transparent with regard to finances as a Budget is published every year detailing the council’s spending.  This budget is audited by the Local Government Auditor.  (Compare the budget of a Town Council and County Council to see which is the more transparent.)

16.  Town Councils are already accountable and transparent with regard to planning as they publish a Town Plan every 5 years which as a completely public process and which is overseen by the Dept of the Environment.

17.  Councillors are to be removed from the planning process even further by the removal of their powers under Section 140.  Section 140 is the provision whereby Councillors have the last say over the Executive and is an important piece of legislation which ensures that local government is not solely the purview of unelected officials. 

18.  Planning is to become the sole purview of unelected officials and opens up the possibility of a whole new era of corruption out of sight of the elected councillor.

19.  The new municipal councils are just enlarged Local Area Committees not true councils in their own right.

20.  The fact that the councillors sit on both municipal area council and City/County Council is proof that it is just a further centralisation of powers was criticised in the 1991 Barrington report on local government reform.

21.  The majority of the 75 councils to be abolished are outside the major cities and conurbations and as such they balance out the power and investment that goes into cities like Dublin, Cork, Limerick etc by providing a voice to their areas as well as acting as lobbying organisations with the state, semi state companies, service providers, councils, regional bodies and groups like the IDA and the Tourism Bodies.  The abolition of these councils will silence whole areas of rural Ireland.

22.  The loss of 75 Town Mayors is a huge loss of prestige and pride to local communities who like having someone to look to for Civic Leadership and to welcome VIPs and investors in their community.  It is an end to all Civic Honours currently hosted by these Mayors.   

23.  Town Managers and County Managers will still run the system although they will be called CEO’s councillors will not have the powers to hire or fire them as they do in all EU systems of local government. 

24.  Executive Functions will still exist allowing the CEO to act as he sees fit and with no democratic accountability.

25.  The proposed abolition of Town Councils is directly contrary to the pre election policies of both Fine Gael and The Labour Party which both committed them to strengthening and empowering local government.

26.  The proposed abolition of Town Councils is not a policy of the Programme for Government.

27.  The number of Regional Assemblies is to be cut from 10 to 3, another reduction of democratic representation.

28.  No direction election of representatives to the remaining regional assemblies compounds the democratic deficit and weakens the authority of such assemblies.

29.  No direct elections of Mayors for those councils which will still exist.

30.  In short this is not a plan of reform.  It is a plan of budget cuts, a reduction of local democracy on a scale never seen in a modern European nation and a further centralisation of local government.

Thanks from the Green Cross and President Mikhail Gorbachev

Subject: Thanks from the Green Cross and President Mikhail Gorbachev
To: councillorkeithmartin@gmail.com

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for taking the time to sign the petition supporting our efforts to make water an international right for all.

Sincerely,


Mikhail Gorbachev,
Chairman of the Board,
Green Cross International
www.greencrossinternational.net

Water petition

Westport Labour Councillor Keith Martin is urging people to support a
trade union campaign entitled "The Right2Water petition" to ensure
that water services throughout Europe remain in public ownership.

The trade union IMPACT is asking its members and their friends,
families and communities to sign an online petition, which aims to
gather 30,000 signatures in Ireland. The 'right to water' campaign
calls on the European Commission to recognise water as a human right,
exclude water and sanitation services from EU internal market rules,
and legislate to ensure water and sanitation assets remain in public
control even where private companies operate them.

The campaign has grown amid concerns that Irish water services could
be privatised in the future following the current restructuring
programme.

The petition is the first citizen's campaign of its kind under the
EU's European Citizen Initiative (ECI), a new legal tool introduced as
part of the Nice Treaty, which forces European institutions to
consider issues that win the necessary public support. The Right2Water
petition aims to attract a million petition signatures throughout the
EU and was launched in Ireland at the IMPACT Biennial Delegate
Conference in May.

According to the Cllr Keith Martin who is a member of the IMPACT trade
union "Water is a human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold.
We must ensure that efforts to conserve and improve water quality such
as the establishment of Irish Water do not become the gateway
organisations to privatisation. In Boliva there were riots over water
when the water supply was privatised and the price of water was pushed
up and up until the ordinary citizens rose up in protest. The West of
Ireland is blessed with one of the highest rainfalls in Europe and we
must protect this asset from both pollution and exploitation by
speculators."

The petition can be signed at http://www.watertreaty.org.

A video update on the plans to abolish your town council.

Labour Party Meeting

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party will be meeting on Tuesday
October 23rd in the Clock Tavern at 8pm sharp. The meeting will be
discussing the proposed abolition of Westport Town Council, signage on
the town's bridges, crime and policing, the upcoming children's'
referendum and a variety of other local and national issues. New
members welcome. Light refreshments will be served. More details on
086 0691182.

Campaign to keep our Town Councils

I have helped launch a facebook campaign to keep our Town Councils.
More details at facebook.com/keepourcouncils

It is time to fight back against this undemocratic proposal.

Of the €500 million in savings only €6 million is being achieved by
removing Town Councils (Source AMAI)

Ireland will have the lowest level of councillors per capita in the EU
(Source AMAI)

The removal of Town Councils which are mainly located in rural areas
is another attack on rural life and a further centralisation of Irish
politics and democracy.

118 per head of population per Councillor in France,
250 per head of population in Sweden and 350 in Germany.
This rises to 610 in Spain and 1100 per head of population in Greece
and Belgium.

Here in Ireland the figure is one Councillor to every 2,336 people.

Only the United Kingdom has a higher ratio with one Councillor to
every 2,603 per head of population.

Phil Hogan wants to increase that to 1 for every 4,800.

The big lie. 800 Town Councilllors are expensive.
The big truth. 800 Town Councillors cost the country 3million a year.

But what about the hundreds of millions of savings?
These are coming about through voluntary redundancies and cost saving
measures which could be done without abolishing every town council in
Ireland.

The big lie. We have too many councillors for such a small country.

The big truth. We have the lowest level of councillors in Europe
except for UK. In Sweden there;s a councillor for every 200 people. In
Ireland it's one for 3,500.

Submission to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on the future of the Post Office Network

Submission to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on
the future of the Post Office Network

In my experience as a local councillor Post Offices are vital to
village life. They are the social hub of the community where pensions
and dole are collected, bills paid, post sent, tv licences and other
charges are paid simply and locally.

In rural Ireland the post office provides an important service and
gathering point for communities. The reduction of these services would
be removing a focus point for the local community and resulting in
hundreds of job losses. In addition, this diminution of rural services
is contributing to social isolation and a disintegration of
communities as people no longer have the opportunity to meet people
and engage with their local communities.

Between 2001 and 2008 344 post offices closed, with many more
downgraded. The majority of closures took place in rural areas.
Closures and downgrading place a huge strain on local communities. The
Post Office increases footfall to other local businesses, so when one
post office closes in a rural area the knock-on effects are felt by
nearly all local businesses.

Mayo is the 3rd largest county in Ireland. The level of broadband and
computer access is very compared with urban and city areas. An an
increasingly ageing population relies on the post office for their
banking and community needs. There is also a poor public transport
network so the use of other area post offices is not possible or
desirable.

I would propose that rather than shutting more post offices that these
offices be upgraded to provide more banking services in conjugation
with local Credit Unions or bank.

Other European states have taken the approach that citizens must be
entitled to a postal service within a certain distance of their home
and it is time Ireland introduced such a measure.

Cllr Keith Martin B.A. (Hons)
Westport Town Council

Abolition of Town Councils

Dear Eamon,

I am a Town Councillor with 8 years service.  I am all in favour of local government reform and a return of powers to councillors.

I would be horrified to learn that the government would be planning on abolition Town Councils like Westport.  Especially after such a move is not a policy of Labour's nor is it included in the Programme for Government.

We are the foot soldiers of local government and the Labour party across the country.  We know our constituents by their first name, they're problems are our problems.

I would consider any move to abolish us as a betrayal of the highest order by both Government and party.

Sincerely

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Chair 

Westport Branch Labour Party

"Horrible" signs on Westport's bridges to go

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the announcement by the National Roads Authority (NRA) that the white licence plate style signage recently erected on Westport's cut-stone bridges was erected in error and will be removed.

According to the NRA Westport's bridges were recently inspected by the NRA and the signs were erected as part of that process, however due to the aesthetic and heritage value of certain bridges the NRA have a policy of not erecting such signs in urban areas where such signage might not be appropriate to the area's aesthetics.  

The NRA have acknowledged that Westport's cut stone bridges, which are listed monuments, should not have been signposted and the body has promised to remove the controversial signage in the coming days. 

Welcoming the move Cllr Martin says "The sudden appearance of these horrible signs was a big issue in a heritage town such as Westport and they were raised with me on numerous occasions and at a recent Labour Party meeting.   Westport Town Council was immediately in touch with the NRA and they realised their error and have taken steps.  I look forward to the removal of the signs."

Westport Town Council to be abolished in 2014

My reaction to the news.

Signs to go

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the announcement by the National Roads Authority (NRA) that the white licence plate style signage recently erected on Westport's cut-stone bridges was erected in error and will be removed.

According to the NRA Westport's bridges were recently inspected by the NRA and the signs were erected as part of that process, however due to the aesthetic and heritage value of certain bridges the NRA have a policy of not erecting such signs in urban areas where such signage might not be appropriate to the area's aesthetics.  

The NRA have acknowledged that Westport's cut stone bridges, which are listed monuments, should not have been signposted and the body has promised to remove the controversial signage in the coming days. 

Welcoming the move Cllr Martin says "The sudden appearance of these horrible signs was a big issue in a heritage town such as Westport and they were raised with me on numerous occasions and at a recent Labour Party meeting.   Westport Town Council was immediately in touch with the NRA and they realised their error and have taken steps.  I look forward to the removal of the signs."

Westport Labour Party News

The September meeting of the Westport Branch of the Labour party took place last Wednesday (September 26th) took place in the Clock Tavern Bar.  The meeting was chaired by the Branch's incoming chairman, Cllr Keith Martin.

The meeting heard an update from David Fallon in relation to the appointment of Brian McDowell as national organiser and that Mr McDowell had expressed a desire to meet with the branch to discuss the upcoming local elections in 2014.  There was then a short discussion on the implications of property taxes and the state of the economy.

Cllr Keith Martin updated the branch on council business and his plans for the coming months. 

Branch Secretary Michael Everson updated the branch on his proposals for a simplified, logical and inexpensive national postcode system.  The meeting resolved to contact the Minister of Communications, Pat Rabbitte TD to request a formal meeting with him so that a presentation on the issue could be made to the Minister and his officials as soon as possible.  Cllr Martin was delegated to assist in arranging the meeting.

Sean Sammon questioned the use of plastic signage on the town's stone bridges, stating that they looked out of place.  The meeting resolved to query their status with the Town Council to see if it was permanent and if so, whether something more appropriate might be put in place.

John McDonnell gave a report on a public meeting he had recently attended in Kilmeena in relation to a series of break-ins in the area.  He called for the full force of the law to brought to bare on those criminals responsible.  He said a "zero-tolerance" approach should be adopted by the Gardai in relation to this type of crime.   

Cllr Keith Martin updated the meeting on the progress of the Policing Committee and on trial text alert systems which will assist in catching criminals by alerting community areas to suspicions persons, activities and vehicles operating in rural areas.  He added that the Superintendent had also announced a overall of the Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert schemes which should also prove invaluable in deterring criminals.    John McDonnell called for rewards to be offered for information leading to the capture of criminals.

Cllr Martin updated the meeting about their upcoming Church Gate Collection and on a leafleting campaign for the Westport area, highlighting Labour's achievements in protecting low paid workers.  

Cllr Martin also noted that the Winter Fuel Allowance Scheme was now in effect and he was placing the forms on his website where they could be downloaded as needed by constituents.

The Branch also passed a motion of support for Roisin Shortall, following her resignation as Minster of State at the Dept of Health.

Correspondence from the Party Leader Eamon Gilmore, the General Secretary of the Labour Party, Senator Denis Landy, and Dominic Hannigan TD was read and noted by the members.   

Anyone interested in joining the Labour Party in Westport can call 086 0691182.