My Letter to the Labour Party TDs and Senators

Dear Party Colleague,

I write to you to ask for your assistance in opposing the abolition of town councils.

The Minster has repeatedly stated "That there are too many councils and councillors" for a country the size of Ireland.

The fact of the matter is that 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.

In fact only the UK has a lower ratio of councillors to citizens than Ireland. 

The reform proposes to make this situation worse by increasing the ratio from 1 councillor per 2,336 to 1 councillor per 4,800.  Making us the most under-represented country in the European Union.

The AMAI and An Bord Snip Nua estimate the total saving from abolishing 75 town councils and 700 councillors is just €6 million; that's a saving of just €80k per council. 

To put that in perspective, Westport Town Council's annual budget is €5.2 million per year and our Capital account is just under €5m.

The Minister's repeated claims of savings of hundreds of millions are actually derived from cost savings of shared equipment and manpower and the redundancies of 500 Public servants.

The Minister says he is abolishing 80 councils but the truth is he is actually creating more councils than ever before.  Mayo goes from 4 local authorities to 5.

In 2011 "The Case for Town Local Government in Ireland in the 21st Century", was carried out by researchers at University College Cork.  That study found that town and borough councils are significantly less reliant on central government funding compared to city and county councils, yet are regularly targeted for exchequer cutbacks. 

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.

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

Under the reforms there's no guarantee that the Westport Town Budget of €5.2m will be spent in the area in future and it seems likely that our Capital account of €5m will be used to offset Mayo County Council's €50m debt.

Westport Town Council budget is currently made up of just 15% funding from Central Government.  This will be replaced with the new property tax which will mean that Westport Town Council will be completely independent of Central Government funding.

Westport Town Council has, historically always presented an annual surplus in our budgets and has built up a Capital Reserve of €5m.

The cost of the 9 Councillors of Westport Town Council, salaries, expenses, conferences, overseas visits, hospitality comes to less than .75 of a percent. 

One County Councillor chairing an SPC and taking full advantage of their conference allowance costs more.

The abolition of Westport Town Council will serve no purpose, save no money and will not put people first.  The abolition of an entire tier of local government is unheard of in modern European history.

In relation to the Minister's claims that the new Municipal Councils will be real councils in their own right why does he not count them as local authorities?  He has repeatedly stated he is cutting the number of local authorities when in fact he is going to be creating even more councils.

Surely if these Municipal Councils are to be councils in their own right then they should have separate elections? The issues facing the Westport area are different to those facing Mayo County Council.  Yet there is a Dual Mandate.  These new councils will not even have the power to set a rate.

The truth of the matter is that our party went into government pledging to empower town councils and to create new town councils.  

According to our 2009 Local Government Manifesto "Local Authorities (including County, Town, and District Councils) would retain their existing functions, with other appropriate functions to be devolved over time".

According to our Local Government policy, New Councils, "There should be two levels of Local Government: Regional Authorities, which would include City Authorities for the larger cities, and Local Authorities, which would include County, Town and District Councils".

That same policy also proposed that " The distinction between County Councils and the larger Town Councils should be ended. All such councils should have the same status. There would be options available to people as to the type of Council which would exist in a particular area, as between County Councils, Town Councils and District Councils. Where a dispute arises over the inclusion of an area in a council, the issue could be resolved by plebiscite of the voters in that area."

Instead there has been no debate save for a very brief call for public submission.  There has been no debate within the Labour Party and as a serving Town Councillor my opinions were not sought nor was I informed of the abolition of my council until it was announced.   

There are tough decisions to be made, but we must be sure that we are making them for the right reason.  The abolition of Town Councils cannot be undone or corrected at a later date.

I ask for your help in highlighting the myths surrounding the proposals and for your help in opposing the abolition of the councils so that their retention can be built into the proposed reforms and that we deliver a system of local government fit for purpose.

I attach our submission to the Minister which outlines Westport Town Council's achievements and the many reasons why we should not be abolished.

Sincerely

 

___________

Keith Martin

Fwd: Submission on Joint Policing Committees

Cllr Keith Martin has called on members of the Westport Community to make their feelings know in relation to the successes or otherwise of the system of Local Policing Committees.

In his own submission to the Dept of Justice, Cllr Martin says the committees are too big, ineffective and powerless with TDs and other representatives "show-boating" for the press while the important issues of policing are not dealt with due to privacy or budgetary issues.

Cllr Martin is calling for smaller policing committees, without TDs, which would have some form of budget and an ability to discuss individuals and items in privacy outside of the public meetings.  He has also called for a shake up of national policing.

Cllr Martin is reacting to the call for submission from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, who is seeking views from the Gardaí, local authorities, Oireachtas members, community organisations and the general public. 

Joint Policing Committees are established under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and are designed to allow for collective consideration of local policing issues between the Gardaí, local authority and Oireachtas elected members, officials and community representatives.

Submissions in relation to the Discussion Points outlined in this document or any other matters relating to the operation of JPCs may be sent by e-mail to jpc@justice.ie or by post to: JPC Review, Department of Justice and Equality, 94 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.  Please note submissions must arrive by the end of January, 2013.

Cllr Martin's Submission:

1.  There are far to many members on the committees.  The bigger the committee the less it does.  A maximum number should be set with each body nominating its representatives to that committee.

  

2. The inclusion of Oireachtas members is unnecessary.  Local Policing is a matter for local government not national politicians.  There is no justification for TDs/Senators, tasked with national affairs from serving on a local committee like this.  They do not serve on any other similar body.

3.  The value of many of the community/voluntary members is minimal and should be targeted at the organisations which are relevant.

4.  There is a danger that they are nothing more than talking shops whereby show-boating for the press takes precedent over action.

5.  Because they are public meetings the discussions are too limited.  While policing policy should be debated in public, individual cases and items cannot be.

6. Without specific bugeting powers there's little that can be done differently anyway.  Any changes are often an issue of "Robbing Peter to pay Paul" when it comes to resources.  

7.  Policing should be devolved to local councils or regions as it is in the UK.  This would allow greater freedom for innovation, imaginative budgeting and reaction to different types of crime due to rural-urban divide.  What works in the Phoenix Park does not work in the villages of Mayo.

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Submission on Joint Policing Committees

1.  There are far to many members on the committees.  The bigger the committee the less it does.  A maximum number should be set with each body nominating its representatives to that committee.

  

2. The inclusion of Oireachtas members is unnecessary.  Local Policing is a matter for local government not national politicians.  There is no justification for TDs/Senators, tasked with national affairs from serving on a local committee like this.  They do not serve on any other similar body.

3.  The value of many of the community/voluntary members is minimal and should be targeted at the organisations which are relevant.

4.  There is a danger that they are nothing more than talking shops whereby show-boating for the press takes precedent over action.

5.  Because they are public meetings the discussions are too limited.  While policing policy should be debated in public, individual cases and items cannot be.

6. Without specific bugeting powers there's little that can be done differently anyway.  Any changes are often an issue of "Robbing Peter to pay Paul" when it comes to resources.  

7.  Policing should be devolved to local councils are regions as it is in the UK.  This would allow greater freedom for innovation, imaginative budgeting and reaction to different types of crime due to rural-urban divide.  What works in the Phoenix Park does not work in the villages of Mayo.

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Re: My address to the AMAI

First of all I'd like to welcome you to Westport and this meeting.  It's good of you to come at such short notice.

 

We on this council feel very strongly about this issue and about the AMAI's reaction and its good to have this opportunity to speak to you.

 

This council rejects the reforms as flawed and we do not accept that municipal councils are successors or replacements for town councils.

 

I have a number of questions in relation to the proposed abolition, the AMAI's reaction and future course of action in this matter.

 

I'd like to start by getting you to bust some myths for us in public in relation to Town Councils and Municipal Government.

 

Firstly the Minster has repeatedly stated and I quote "That there are too many councils and councillors" for a country the size of Ireland.

 

 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.

 

That only the UK has a lower ratio of councillors to citizens that Ireland?

 

 

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

 

 

The AMAI and An Bord Snip estimate the total saving from abolishing 75 town councils and 700 councillors is just €6 million; that's a saving of just €80k per council.

 

 

That the Minister's repeated claims of savings of hundreds of millions are actually derived from cost savings of shared equipment and manpower and the redundancies of 500 Public servants

 

The Minister says he is abolishing 80 councils but the truth is he is actually creating more councils than ever before?   if we are to believe that these municipal councils are anything more than grandiose local area committees?

 

 

 

In August of 2011 the AMAI PUBLISHED THE FINDINGS OF A REPORT

 

"The Case for Town Local Government in Ireland in the 21st Century", was carried out by researchers at University College Cork 

 

The study claims that town and borough councils are significantly less reliant on central government funding compared to city and county councils, yet are regularly targeted for exchequer cutbacks. 

 

The report points out that the more successful economies in the developed world all have a vibrant system of town government at the heart of their public administration systems. 

 

"Ireland needs a more comprehensive tier of town or community government covering the entire country. Currently we have too few town councils and quite often they carry the can for the ineffectiveness of county councils," said the AMAI.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Under the reforms there's no guarantee that the Westport Town Budget of over €5m will be spent in the area in future?

 

And that the savings of this council will most likely be handed over the County Council rather than be retained by the Municipal Council?

 

 

How does the AMAI go from calling for more town councils and councillors to the position of "welcoming the reform of local government while regretting the loss of 40% of Cllrs.  How can you welcome any reform which sees what you have proved is the most efficient form of local government and councillor.

 

How can you welcome any part of that?

 

When I heard of the abolition of this town council I emailed the AMAI and asked what the AMAI had done to fight this I received a one line reply

 

"What more could we have done?"

 

Do you think that is an adequate response?

 

The AMAI has failed to reverse its welcome for the reforms.

It has not publicly corrected the minister's propaganda

It has not organised a media campaign or even a protest meeting or petition.

 

 

Now we see the 5 Bourough Councils have banded together and made financial provision for action and a campaign to fight their aboltion.

 

Not a word of support from the AMAI for that.

 

The AMAI who should be a conduit for news and a campaign of resistence is silent expect for circulating requests for us to fill in submissions for boundaries

 

 

Meanwhile, President of the AMAI Willie Callaghan said he is disappointed that representatives of the association were not invited to last night's meeting in Midleton.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Callaghan said the association will take legal advice once the Bill is published, but this was not yet an option.

He said he was surprised a town or county manager would allow taxpayers' money to be used for taking a case.

That statement is a slap in th face to councils like Middleton in Cork who have put aside 50,000 for a legal case and Westport which has put aside 5,000 to support a court challenge or campaign against abolition.

 

 

The constitution is a living document.

 

There are un-numerated rights under the constitution, like free speech which are not written into it but have been implied to exist within it. 

 

Even if not intended a referendum can create unexpected changes to the referendum.

 

The local government amendment to the constitution could have created an implied right of protection for town councils, even if that was not the aim or intention of the referendum.

 

Chief Law officer of the state when a Senior Counsel advised that there were no constitutional implications or bars to ending Upward only rent reviews.  However on becoming Attorney General that same person advised the government that there WERE constitutional issues in relation to ending Upward only rent reviews.

 

If a SC counsel cannot be sure on an issue like this then we must persue our options through the court to see if there is any implied protection for our councils under the constitution.

 

i love local democracy and I love the fact that any citizen of this town can run for  office and change things if they wish.  the new system will create a power sub class of powerful full time councillors and with councils the size of county Louth people will need financial backing and a team of supporters to have any chance.  It is a bad day for democracy if that happens.

 

We must fight that.

 

On 18 January 2013 09:28, Councillor Keith Martin <councillorkeithmartin@gmail.com> wrote:

My address to the AMAI last night at Westport Town Council's January Meeting.

K

My address to the AMAI

My address to the AMAI last night at Westport Town Council's January Meeting.

K