Sir, – Few would dispute that the political control of planning policy by councillors was a key factor in over-zoning, bad planning policy, and the associated property crash and banking collapse. Unsurprisingly, one of the key recommendations of the €200 million Mahon tribunal was the setting up of a planning regulator.
Instead of such fundamental reform, Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan merely plans to remove the power of councillors to overturn decisions on individual planning applications through Section 140 motions, which at most will prevent a few bad developments. What Irish planning policy needs is a system of active independent oversight and regulation. Mr Hogan’s token “planning reforms” are an insult to the pockets and intelligence of Irish taxpayers who are paying dearly for the unregulated political control of planning policy. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The decision by Phil Hogan to amalgamate a number of local authorities is to be welcomed as an exercise in cost reduction and efficiency. However, it also raises a worrying question.
The Minister has announced the amalgamation of Limerick city and county councils (total population: 191,809); Tipperary North and South county councils (total population: 158,754) and Waterford city and county councils (total population: 113,795).
Would it not have been logical to also amalgamate Kilkenny city and county councils (total population: 95,419)? Is there a faint whiff of James Reilly-type stroke politics attaching to the Minister’s omission of his home county from the list? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – What an honour it is to do something for someone else at no cost to oneself – or so it used to be.
Your Editorial (October 16th) states that cleaning up local government will be difficult.
Had county councillors not sunk into the morass of greed and corruption there would be no problem. The first mistake was to give them fat salaries. Formerly it was seen as a privilege to serve on a county council and receive out-of-pocket expenses.
The only reform required is to withdraw these salaries and if this means holding new elections, so be it – the savings will still be considerable.
Perhaps we could then afford to be more humane in dealing with allowances for poor families. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I commend Phil Hogan for the radical proposals concerning the reorganisation of local government. In this, the most financially difficult time in the history of the State, there is no doubt that we cannot afford the multiplicity of town councils and urban district councils throughout the country. It is also time to continue with the amalgamation of city and county councils, as occurred with the new Limerick joint authority.
I only hope that the Government has the neck, but above all the will, to withstand the upcoming barrage of complaint and outrage from local councillors throughout the country. These wannabe Senators and TDs will no doubt kick up some fuss and try to have the plans watered down.
Is there any hope that the Government would now address the issue of Senators’ and TDs’ unvouched, and untaxed, travel and subsistence allowances? – Yours, etc,