Town council plan could face challenge

The Government may face a legal challenge over plans to abolish town councils under the local government reform programme announced last October by Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan.

The Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (AMAI), which represents town councils, is considering legal action over the proposals, which would see the abolition of 80 town councils and a reduction in the number of councillors from 1,627 to 950.

Following a meeting in Midleton last night, Cork’s 12 mayors are seeking talks with Mr Hogan to voice their concerns over the plan.

President of the AMAI Willie Callaghan, who was not at last night’s meeting, said legal action is an option being considered by the association, but it could not be taken until the Bill outlining the proposals in detail was published.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Callaghan said the association was not happy that so many councillors could be lost “at the stroke of a pen”, and called on the Minister to clarify the proposals.

On the same programme, Mr Hogan said the aim was to devolve power from central government to local government, especially in matters of planning, roads, traffic and environmental services.

He said the proposals marked a “fundamental and radical change in local government for the first time in 100 years”.

“Now there is a local source of funding at local level through the property tax we’ll be in a position to give more autonomy to councillors to meet their own priorities,” he said.

The boundaries for the new municipal districts and councils will be finalised by the end of May, Mr Hogan added.

Property tax

Responding to criticisms that Dublin residents would be paying disproportionally for local services through higher property taxes, Mr Hogan said it had always been the case that residents in the east of the country paid more.

“We have listened to the various views about how the system would be implemented and the Government has decided that market value is the basis of doing that because it represents the closest possible yard stick towards the level of amenities and services you are living in,” he said.

“Ultimately, property tax will become the main source of revenue for the local authority, and people will see that whatever is collected in the area will be spent in the area.”