Local government reform has to include transferring more power to elected councillors, writes Dermot Lacey.
The decision by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley to initiate a debate on local government reform is indeed most welcome. The tentative and insipid nature of the proposals, not so. Before commencing such a debate however, we need to decide what local government is for.
For me, local government is about the delivery of comprehensive public services in a manner required, demanded and agreed by the local community. Without these attributes it is neither local nor government. Sadly, here in Ireland that is the reality.
There are others, far more capable than me, who can comment on the national situation. I will just concentrate on Dublin, a city I had the privilege to serve as lord mayor and a county I had the privilege to serve as cathaoirleach of the regional authority.
I believe that Dublin desperately needs a directly elected mayor - a mayor who would serve for the full term of the council. Such a mayor, working with the members of the council and with sufficient powers and resources, is needed now more than ever to rescue this city from the clutching, incompetent and uninterested control of central government.
Shamefully, the sections of the 2001 Local Government Act enabling this, courageously and correctly introduced by then minister for the environment, Noel Dempsey, were reversed by his successor, Martin Cullen.
Once again then we had local elections in 2004 with no reform of local government, no debate on how we should finance our system and, above all, the disgraceful withdrawal of the right of citizens to choose their own mayor or council chairperson.
Dublin needs a directly elected mayor with a mandate to serve for five years who, working with the members of the council, will lead this city and county and stand up for this city and county.
My preference would be a mayor for the whole county who would preside over a new and powerful Dublin regional assembly working with the existing four local authorities. Such a partnership approach would surely be the best model for Ireland. I have absolutely no doubt that it would be the best model for Dublin. It is not too late for this right to be given back to citizens at the next local elections due to be held in 2009.
John Gormley might redeem some of the credibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government by providing for that in this review.
It is one of the unfortunate truisms of modern Ireland that we need reform of our creaking, antiquated, underfunded and underdeveloped system of local government. It is a truism occasionally written about, often argued for and never implemented.
Of course we need real reform, and of course we need councillors to take more responsibility.
As lord mayor of Dublin in difficult circumstances I did accept such responsibility in relation to the city budget. Since then, the majority in favour of the budget has increased with each passing year.
A directly elected mayor should simply be the start of a total reform of our failing system of local government. Powers which have been stripped from elected representatives and handed over lock, stock and barrel to city and county managers, appointees of the minister, need to be restored to city and county councillors across the country.
The issue of financing of local government also needs extensive review.
At present, Dublin City Council is losing out on millions of euro every year (€27 million for 2006 alone) from fees which the Government has waived its responsibility to pay.
Every local authority in our country has been denied monies due to it in lieu of the abolition of domestic rates, as well as the costs of benchmarking and yet there has not been a squeak from the usual commentators about this.
I have previously proposed that a national forum on the financing of local government should be established as a matter of urgency.
The forum would draw its membership from the main political parties, the three councillor representative bodies and the social partners.
It would be given six months to a year to agree an approach that would provide sufficient funding on a nationally agreed basis and that would allow some degree of local flexibility as to appropriate local fundraising.
Gormley claims to believe in real local decision-making. This councillor will give him every support in delivering what should be a core Green Party principle.
Some people believe that the role of local government is to implement the views and policies of the so-called Department of the Environment and Local Government. It is not. It is my job as a Dublin city councillor to do all that is best for this city and its citizens.
It is my job to stand up for Dublin, not to regurgitate the failed views and policies imposed on our city from the Custom House.
The same applies to councillors representing other parts of our country in respect of their areas.
Introducing the direct election of longer-term mayors is not the panacea for all our problems, but it would be a major starting point.
Quite simply, the people whom we are meant to serve deserve better than the current situation which suits no one except the mandarins in the Custom House and the temporary ministerial masters. It is time to fight back and to "Stand Up for Real Local Government".
Dermot Laceyis a Labour member of Dublin City Council, a former lord mayor of Dublin and cathaoirleach of the Dublin Regional Authority.