Councillors campaign against local authority cuts

A CAMPAIGN against plans to abolish up to 60 town councils and strip others of powers relating to rates, housing and planning, was launched yesterday by the Association of Municipal Authorities.

Separate plans to reduce the powers of town councils or abolish large numbers of them altogether have been made by the Local Government Efficiency Review Group, as well as the “Bord Snip Nua” cost-cutting review, and more recently the Fianna Fáil party’s submission to Government.

But up to 300 town councillors at their annual conference in Buncrana, Co Donegal, vowed to wage “the biggest campaign we have ever fought” against the cuts. Labour Party councillor Denis Landy of Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, said members would organise, hold workshops and make submissions to the forthcoming White Paper on local authority reform.

Cllr Mark Dalton of Athy Town Council, Co Kildare, said he and fellow Fianna Fáil councillors were “disgusted” with the party’s submission on local government reform. He told the delegates a Fianna Fáil committee chaired by Noel Dempsey and including Ministers Pat Carey, Batt O’Keeffe and Éamon Ó Cúiv had prepared the party’s submission but it had “no support” on the ground. He said he and other Fianna Fáil councillors had met Mr Dempsey and “asserted our disgust” and would have a follow-up meeting in coming weeks.

Mr Dalton echoed earlier comments from fellow Fianna Fáil councillor Dessie Larkin of Letterkenny Town Council, Co Donegal, who said party members were “embarrassed” by Fianna Fáil’s submission.

Independent councillor Vincent McElheron of Arklow Town Council, Co Wicklow, said members should seek support from the Local Authority Members Association and members of the Seanad who were reliant on councillors’ votes, in support of the campaign against the “common enemy” in the central Government.

Fine Gael councillor Maxine Keoghan of Tramore Town Council, Co Waterford, said she learned the association had professional media advisers. She said the campaign should also use Facebook and YouTube and other new media. Ms Keoghan said most comment in the media was negative with much focus on expenses. She asked for the association to ensure members were well prepared to go on local radio stations and counter negative publicity. She said local media in particular could be used to get the message across.

However, Fine Gael’s Jim Holloway of Navan Town Council, Co Meath, said reform was badly needed. He said in Navan he had seen five councillors ascribe all powers to themselves to the exclusion of other members. He said frequently town councils operated as a “mini Dáil” and members had to “step up to the mark” in operating like a board of directors. He said the “elephant in the room” was the ability to raise revenue and this should be restored to all town councils.

The councillors were told by Dr Aodh Quinlivan of University College Cork that Ireland was already one of the most under-represented countries in western Europe, in terms of local democracy. He said there were 114 local authorities in Ireland which amounted to one council for every 35,000 people. This compared to a local council for every 1,600 people in France; one for every 5,400 people in Germany; and one for every 4,900 in Spain. He said local government was in need of reform “rather than haphazard” measures.