The merger of North and South Tipperary Councils into a single Tipperary County Council is being described as a 'retrograde step for Roscrea' by Chairman of Roscrea Community Development Council, Mr. John Lupton. A long time advocate of more meaningful and participative Local Government, Mr. Lupton believes that the move to unify the two Councils will diminish rather than enhance Local Government overall and, in the case of Roscrea, which will be further isolated in the very top of a huge county, may serve to 'further disempower' the people of the town. News of the merger of the two Councils came as a surprise but not a shock when it was learned last week with even some Councillors totally unaware that such an announcement was to be made.
The general feeling was that the announcement by Minister Hogan threw up more questions than it answered and it is understood that both the Mayor of North Tipperary County Council, Cllr. Michael Lowry, and the County Manager, Mr. Joe McGrath, and their counterparts in the south of the county, are making arrangements to meet with the Minister to establish further details about that the merger will mean to them. In making his announcement last week, the Minister said that much of the detail will not be made known until March of next year, but elected representatives and Council staff are said to be unhappy about this.
Reacting to the news in a statement this week, RCDC Chairman, Mr. John Lupton said 'If the proposed merger of the County Councils of North and South Tipperary were to take place in the context of true local government reform, I would welcome and applaud it. However, as it is effectively, I believe, proposed that it will take place outside of, and apart from, such a process despite the predictable protestations to the contrary. I would say the proposal, at best, represents a missed opportunity to bring about meaningful local government reform. However, in the context of Roscrea with our present state of marginalisation and isolation as being the only town of its size without a town council in the county, our marginalisation and isolation will now be greater and more pronounced in the larger county context.'
He continues 'True Local Government reform can only be built from the bottom up, recognising the dignity and equality of all citizens and thus the equal right of all communities to parity of democratic representation. The proposed merger of the County Councils of Tipperary gives no cognizance whatsoever to this principle. Instead it is based on perceived economic expediency and a greater centralisation, rather than a greater decentralisation, of local government.
I have long suggested that all towns and areas of population should have parity of democratic representation i.e. have "town" or "community" councils on a statutory basis. These should all, however, I believe, be on a voluntary basis and without the trappings associated with existing town councils.
'The administration and provision of local government services could be provided on a county, or even on a regional basis and thus avail of economies of scale. Each voluntary "town" or "community" council would have decision making powers as to how services would be delivered in their areas. Thus we would have the seeds of democratic reform (i.e. participative democracy, at "Town" or "Community" Council level) empowered and working complementary with representative democracy (i.e. at County and Regional Councils) with the latter providing economies of scale in the administration and delivery of local government services.'
'Local Government, which ignores the right of citizens to a meaningful participative role on the basis of equality and parity of democratic representation, contradicts the very concept of "Local Government". In so far as this proposed merger ignores such a principle, the proposal, I believe, will diminish "local government" as a whole, but, it will diminish it more in the case of Roscrea, where we have no statutory council. Thus for Roscrea, this is a retrograde step. Rather than facilitating greater empowerment and participative democracy among the citizens of Roscrea, this merger may serve to further disempower the people of Roscrea and ensure that we are further removed from the workings of "Local Government",' says Mr. Lupton.
The Midland Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label local government and planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local government and planning. Show all posts
Friday, 5 August 2011
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Local government budget cut by 27%
The overall Environment and Local Government budget is taking a hit of 27 per cent from almost €2.2 billion in 2010 to just under €1.6 billion. The largest cuts are to investment in infrastructure with the capital budget cut by more than half a billion to just over €1 billion.
The largest element of capital funding, the capital housing fund, will bare the brunt of these cuts. Used for the provision of social housing, local authority regeneration programmes and grants for elderly or disable people to adapt their homes, it has been cut by more than one third from €880 million in 2010 to €520 million.
The cuts weight heaviest in capital funding for the provision of new social housing which will more than halve next year from €550,500 in 2010 to just €247,000, reflecting the policy shift away from building to leasing houses for council tenants.
In an attempt to encourage more council tenants to buy their houses, the discount available under the tenant purchase scheme has been increased from a maximum of 30 per cent to 45 per cent for next year only.
Local authorities will see direct exchequer funding fall by 28 per cent from more than €226 million to €164. Revenue for motor tax will mean that local authorities will face a total Local Government Fund cut of 10 to 12 per cent. While city and county councils are benefiting from the second homes tax, the new funding streams such as the primary residence property tax and domestic water rates will not kick in next year.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is having its funding cut by 27 per cent to just under €20 million, while funding for heritage organisations such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Heritage Trust and the Heritage Council is down a total of 60 per cent to €22.5 million.
Funding for the planning and development sector is, predictably down by 37 per cent. However An Bord Pleanála is taking one of the smallest cuts of any agency, down just 2 per cent to €12,829 million.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The largest element of capital funding, the capital housing fund, will bare the brunt of these cuts. Used for the provision of social housing, local authority regeneration programmes and grants for elderly or disable people to adapt their homes, it has been cut by more than one third from €880 million in 2010 to €520 million.
The cuts weight heaviest in capital funding for the provision of new social housing which will more than halve next year from €550,500 in 2010 to just €247,000, reflecting the policy shift away from building to leasing houses for council tenants.
In an attempt to encourage more council tenants to buy their houses, the discount available under the tenant purchase scheme has been increased from a maximum of 30 per cent to 45 per cent for next year only.
Local authorities will see direct exchequer funding fall by 28 per cent from more than €226 million to €164. Revenue for motor tax will mean that local authorities will face a total Local Government Fund cut of 10 to 12 per cent. While city and county councils are benefiting from the second homes tax, the new funding streams such as the primary residence property tax and domestic water rates will not kick in next year.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is having its funding cut by 27 per cent to just under €20 million, while funding for heritage organisations such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Heritage Trust and the Heritage Council is down a total of 60 per cent to €22.5 million.
Funding for the planning and development sector is, predictably down by 37 per cent. However An Bord Pleanála is taking one of the smallest cuts of any agency, down just 2 per cent to €12,829 million.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 2 May 2010
One Limerick council vetoed
The city council has already agreed on its submission to the Limerick Local Government Committee, headed by former Kerry Group chief, Denis Brosnan.
A boundary extension into Co Limerick and a small area of Clare is the preferred option of the city council.
City manager Tom Mackey said the amended proposals for a boundary extension of October 2005 set out four reasons and they were and they were as valid today as they were then.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
A boundary extension into Co Limerick and a small area of Clare is the preferred option of the city council.
City manager Tom Mackey said the amended proposals for a boundary extension of October 2005 set out four reasons and they were and they were as valid today as they were then.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Councillors feel shift in powers is needed
SOME 93 per cent of councillors believe there must be a rebalancing of powers between county managers and public representatives, according to a survey conducted by two Fianna Fáil Senators.
But less than half of councillors surveyed would support the introduction of directly elected mayors.
The results of the Joint Survey on Local Government Reform and Directly Elected Mayors, carried out by Senators Jim Walsh and Mark Daly, found that 49 per cent of cross-party councillors would support directly elected mayors.
Questionnaires were sent to all councillors before the local elections in June and 37 per cent responded. A report on the results of the survey were circulated to councillors in recent days.
City or county managers perform the executive functions of the council and, according to 81 per cent of councillors, have too much power. And 93 per cent of councillors said there was a need to rebalance the power of county managers and elected representatives.
The report on the survey stated that the strong response stemmed from “the lack of political responsibility and accountability afforded to county managers”.
It said many councillors felt they, as democratically elected representatives of the people, should be the ones to hold the power.
“It is the councillors who pay the price for bad management of council business. Many councillors feel that their hands are tied in their efforts to effect real beneficial and meaningful change within the system,” the report said.
Mr Walsh said yesterday they would be discussing the results of the survey with Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
“There has been a tendency not to devolve powers to local government, that needs to be looked at,” he said. “There is also a complete imbalance of power within councils, with a lot of executive decisions being made by city and county managers. The democratic mandate must be respected.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
But less than half of councillors surveyed would support the introduction of directly elected mayors.
The results of the Joint Survey on Local Government Reform and Directly Elected Mayors, carried out by Senators Jim Walsh and Mark Daly, found that 49 per cent of cross-party councillors would support directly elected mayors.
Questionnaires were sent to all councillors before the local elections in June and 37 per cent responded. A report on the results of the survey were circulated to councillors in recent days.
City or county managers perform the executive functions of the council and, according to 81 per cent of councillors, have too much power. And 93 per cent of councillors said there was a need to rebalance the power of county managers and elected representatives.
The report on the survey stated that the strong response stemmed from “the lack of political responsibility and accountability afforded to county managers”.
It said many councillors felt they, as democratically elected representatives of the people, should be the ones to hold the power.
“It is the councillors who pay the price for bad management of council business. Many councillors feel that their hands are tied in their efforts to effect real beneficial and meaningful change within the system,” the report said.
Mr Walsh said yesterday they would be discussing the results of the survey with Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
“There has been a tendency not to devolve powers to local government, that needs to be looked at,” he said. “There is also a complete imbalance of power within councils, with a lot of executive decisions being made by city and county managers. The democratic mandate must be respected.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Abolition of town councils proposed
A SINGLE tier of local government consisting of no more than 22 county councils as well as the abolition of all regional authorities and town councils and a cut of €100 million in the Local Government Fund is recommended.
The report proposes that all households be charged for water, initially at a flat rate pending installation of meters, saying this would “open up a new and sustainable source of revenue”.
A single national authority for delivery of water services is recommended to replace county councils, with an ability to plan and manage supplies on the basis of river catchments – in line with the EU Water Framework Directive.
The group recommends a freeze on commercial rates for at least three years “to alleviate pressure on business in the current economic climate”. This would reduce returns from the only independent source of revenue available to local authorities. Without mentioning a return of domestic rates, the report says alternative sources of income “should be explored”.
It notes that local authorities spent more than €12 billion (current and capital) in 2008, or 6.3 per cent of GDP. “Given the scale of the spending and the current challenging budgetary situation, there is scope to reduce current expenditure by at least 10 per cent.”
There “should be rationalisation of the number of local authority structures, including regional, county and town structures, and local authority agencies, to take account of modern circumstances”.
It recommends a move to a single tier of local government through abolition of regional authorities and town councils, and proposes a reduction in the 34 local county or city authorities, in the remaining single tier of local government, to a maximum of 22.
It notes that housing is the largest item of expenditure in the Department of the Environment’s budget, and endorses the move away from construction of social housing in favour of leasing or buying already-built new homes.
It calls for a review of selling existing local authority housing stock, saying “discounts for tenant purchase should be withdrawn”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The report proposes that all households be charged for water, initially at a flat rate pending installation of meters, saying this would “open up a new and sustainable source of revenue”.
A single national authority for delivery of water services is recommended to replace county councils, with an ability to plan and manage supplies on the basis of river catchments – in line with the EU Water Framework Directive.
The group recommends a freeze on commercial rates for at least three years “to alleviate pressure on business in the current economic climate”. This would reduce returns from the only independent source of revenue available to local authorities. Without mentioning a return of domestic rates, the report says alternative sources of income “should be explored”.
It notes that local authorities spent more than €12 billion (current and capital) in 2008, or 6.3 per cent of GDP. “Given the scale of the spending and the current challenging budgetary situation, there is scope to reduce current expenditure by at least 10 per cent.”
There “should be rationalisation of the number of local authority structures, including regional, county and town structures, and local authority agencies, to take account of modern circumstances”.
It recommends a move to a single tier of local government through abolition of regional authorities and town councils, and proposes a reduction in the 34 local county or city authorities, in the remaining single tier of local government, to a maximum of 22.
It notes that housing is the largest item of expenditure in the Department of the Environment’s budget, and endorses the move away from construction of social housing in favour of leasing or buying already-built new homes.
It calls for a review of selling existing local authority housing stock, saying “discounts for tenant purchase should be withdrawn”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 4 May 2009
Corruption in the process of planning
IT IS now a little over four weeks to the local government elections on June 5th. The last ones were held in 2004 and we elected 1,627 county councillors, city councillors and town councillors – most are back seeking re-election.
Which prompts the question: what are local councillors for? Why do we have local authorities at all when they seem to have fewer and fewer real powers? What useful function do local councillors have in terms of administration or governance?
One area where local councillors do retain real power is in planning – planning in terms of land use zoning and planning as in lobbying officials when they (the officials) are deciding which development applications are granted permission, and which are not. And it is in planning that unhealthy practices and relationships have built up over much of the past 30 years: in short, the planning process has been severely corrupted.
I am not alleging individual corruption (though, as the planning tribunal has shown, there has been skip-loads of that over the years). What I am arguing is that the process of planning, the process by which decisions are made, has been undermined, in that decisions are taken routinely for reasons that are inappropriate in planning terms.
Since Fianna Fáil abolished domestic rates following the 1977 general election, all local authorities have been at the mercy of central government for the bulk of their annual funding needs.
Because the interests of central government do not necessarily coincide with those of local government, local authorities have near-permanent financial shortfalls.
They have sought to address these by (a) contracting out services (with usually good results because of increased competition and the diminished influence of trade unions which see the public sector as a soft touch) and (b) levying developers when granting planning permission.
Take Wicklow (where I live), for example. Not long ago, at the height of the boom, one of Ireland’s major developers sought permission to build a huge shopping centre near Greystones. It was to be on a scale similar to the Liffey Valley centre in Lucan, Co Dublin, even though there was no obvious need for the development sought. At a council meeting discussion of the proposal, it emerged that private meetings had taken place between the developer and some councillors – private in that they were not witnessed by members of the public, as council meetings are, and private in that no formal record of the proceedings was made available to the public. It was therefore not possible to know who said what and assess why.
And yet, a councillor announced with a flourish of great triumph that the developer had agreed a legal undertaking to donate to the council – in exchange for permission for the centre – a site for a new Garda station and a new school. Councillors supported the development and the council, which would have received a very substantial capital injection from a levy, granted permission.
An Bord Pleanála subsequently overturned it for reasons that were blindingly obvious to many local people (the development would have destroyed existing commercial retail centres and was therefore not sustainable).
But why did councillors act in this way? The interests of a developer and a local authority are not the same. The duty of councillors is to represent the entire community, and either a Garda station and a school were needed or they were not.
But surely the decision on that should be taken on criteria supported by empirical data and unrelated, in any way whatsoever, to an application for a shopping development?
Will proper funding for local government and the sort of corrupting of process just described feature in the election campaign? I’m not holding my breath.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Which prompts the question: what are local councillors for? Why do we have local authorities at all when they seem to have fewer and fewer real powers? What useful function do local councillors have in terms of administration or governance?
One area where local councillors do retain real power is in planning – planning in terms of land use zoning and planning as in lobbying officials when they (the officials) are deciding which development applications are granted permission, and which are not. And it is in planning that unhealthy practices and relationships have built up over much of the past 30 years: in short, the planning process has been severely corrupted.
I am not alleging individual corruption (though, as the planning tribunal has shown, there has been skip-loads of that over the years). What I am arguing is that the process of planning, the process by which decisions are made, has been undermined, in that decisions are taken routinely for reasons that are inappropriate in planning terms.
Since Fianna Fáil abolished domestic rates following the 1977 general election, all local authorities have been at the mercy of central government for the bulk of their annual funding needs.
Because the interests of central government do not necessarily coincide with those of local government, local authorities have near-permanent financial shortfalls.
They have sought to address these by (a) contracting out services (with usually good results because of increased competition and the diminished influence of trade unions which see the public sector as a soft touch) and (b) levying developers when granting planning permission.
Take Wicklow (where I live), for example. Not long ago, at the height of the boom, one of Ireland’s major developers sought permission to build a huge shopping centre near Greystones. It was to be on a scale similar to the Liffey Valley centre in Lucan, Co Dublin, even though there was no obvious need for the development sought. At a council meeting discussion of the proposal, it emerged that private meetings had taken place between the developer and some councillors – private in that they were not witnessed by members of the public, as council meetings are, and private in that no formal record of the proceedings was made available to the public. It was therefore not possible to know who said what and assess why.
And yet, a councillor announced with a flourish of great triumph that the developer had agreed a legal undertaking to donate to the council – in exchange for permission for the centre – a site for a new Garda station and a new school. Councillors supported the development and the council, which would have received a very substantial capital injection from a levy, granted permission.
An Bord Pleanála subsequently overturned it for reasons that were blindingly obvious to many local people (the development would have destroyed existing commercial retail centres and was therefore not sustainable).
But why did councillors act in this way? The interests of a developer and a local authority are not the same. The duty of councillors is to represent the entire community, and either a Garda station and a school were needed or they were not.
But surely the decision on that should be taken on criteria supported by empirical data and unrelated, in any way whatsoever, to an application for a shopping development?
Will proper funding for local government and the sort of corrupting of process just described feature in the election campaign? I’m not holding my breath.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 26 January 2009
Two-thirds of councillors 'too busy' to attend their meetings
Just a third of the country's elected county and city councillors, who earn an average of €33,000 in wages, allowances and expenses each year, attended all of their council meetings last year.
Despite the fact that the average council only sat 18 times in 2008 some councillors missed as many as 14 full council meetings in 2008.
Ahead of the local elections this summer, figures compiled and obtained by the Irish Independent reveal that councillors take their roles with varying degrees of seriousness.
Although many councillors were present at the vast majority of their meetings, others cited personal issues, business interests and work as a reason for missing full council meetings -- a key part of a local representative's duties.
Dublin City Council's John Kenny -- who was drafted in as a Progressive Democrat replacement for Wendy Hederman in 2007 -- only turned up to six of the council's 16 meetings.
Mr Kenny said he just came to the realisation that "politics wasn't for me".
"I'm going to be retiring from politics, I've been very busy work-wise," he said. He said he did not think he should have continued attending meetings in order to serve his constituents and claimed he "tried his best".
In Kildare, Cllr Geraldine Conway missed five out of 14 full council meetings up to the end of October. She said she was "exceptionally busy" and accepted that there were some meetings she "just couldn't get to".
Cllr Veronica Neville missed 13 of Cork County Council's 25 meetings, although she gave birth to a child in February. Also on Cork County Council, Patrick Buckley missed 11 meetings, while former independent councillor Christopher O'Sullivan missed 14 meetings.
The 25-year-old, now a Fianna Fail representative -- who is running again this year -- said that his constituents didn't have a problem with the fact that he went travelling for six months and missed 56pc of last year's meetings.
And, according to minutes on the Donegal County Council website, of six councillors in the Donegal town electoral area, two councillors missed eight out of 18 full and adjourned council meetings, one missed five, and another missed four.
Fine Gael's Barry O'Neill -- who is recorded as missing eight -- said that there was often no need for him to attend adjourned meetings because his issues had already been dealt with. Cllr O'Neill pointed out that he was not a full-time councillor and also had to work as an RTE journalist.
Donegal hotelier Sean McEniff, who missed five from 18, said his business sometimes interfered with council duties. "If I miss meetings, I miss meetings because of circumstances beyond my control," he said.
Duties
The lowest attended meeting was also in Donegal, where only 13 councillors out of 29 showed up at a special meeting in Lifford on February 8.
Several councillors contacted by the Irish Independent stressed that they had many more duties than just attending full council meetings. They said they had to attend to their constituents' needs and also had to attend other meetings.
However, some councils around the country recorded extremely high attendance rates, such as Cavan, where the most meetings missed by a single representative was three.
Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown also had high attendance records, with the 'worst' attendees only missing two meetings. In Leitrim, seven councillors each missed just one meeting.
In Roscommon, 17 out of 25 councillors managed to attend all full council meetings. Nobody in Roscommon missed more than three meetings.
The figures also reveal a wide variation in the number of times councils meet.
Clare County Council racked up 38 meetings in 2008 while Galway County Council sat just 12 times, according to minutes supplied to this newspaper.
Fiach Kelly
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Despite the fact that the average council only sat 18 times in 2008 some councillors missed as many as 14 full council meetings in 2008.
Ahead of the local elections this summer, figures compiled and obtained by the Irish Independent reveal that councillors take their roles with varying degrees of seriousness.
Although many councillors were present at the vast majority of their meetings, others cited personal issues, business interests and work as a reason for missing full council meetings -- a key part of a local representative's duties.
Dublin City Council's John Kenny -- who was drafted in as a Progressive Democrat replacement for Wendy Hederman in 2007 -- only turned up to six of the council's 16 meetings.
Mr Kenny said he just came to the realisation that "politics wasn't for me".
"I'm going to be retiring from politics, I've been very busy work-wise," he said. He said he did not think he should have continued attending meetings in order to serve his constituents and claimed he "tried his best".
In Kildare, Cllr Geraldine Conway missed five out of 14 full council meetings up to the end of October. She said she was "exceptionally busy" and accepted that there were some meetings she "just couldn't get to".
Cllr Veronica Neville missed 13 of Cork County Council's 25 meetings, although she gave birth to a child in February. Also on Cork County Council, Patrick Buckley missed 11 meetings, while former independent councillor Christopher O'Sullivan missed 14 meetings.
The 25-year-old, now a Fianna Fail representative -- who is running again this year -- said that his constituents didn't have a problem with the fact that he went travelling for six months and missed 56pc of last year's meetings.
And, according to minutes on the Donegal County Council website, of six councillors in the Donegal town electoral area, two councillors missed eight out of 18 full and adjourned council meetings, one missed five, and another missed four.
Fine Gael's Barry O'Neill -- who is recorded as missing eight -- said that there was often no need for him to attend adjourned meetings because his issues had already been dealt with. Cllr O'Neill pointed out that he was not a full-time councillor and also had to work as an RTE journalist.
Donegal hotelier Sean McEniff, who missed five from 18, said his business sometimes interfered with council duties. "If I miss meetings, I miss meetings because of circumstances beyond my control," he said.
Duties
The lowest attended meeting was also in Donegal, where only 13 councillors out of 29 showed up at a special meeting in Lifford on February 8.
Several councillors contacted by the Irish Independent stressed that they had many more duties than just attending full council meetings. They said they had to attend to their constituents' needs and also had to attend other meetings.
However, some councils around the country recorded extremely high attendance rates, such as Cavan, where the most meetings missed by a single representative was three.
Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown also had high attendance records, with the 'worst' attendees only missing two meetings. In Leitrim, seven councillors each missed just one meeting.
In Roscommon, 17 out of 25 councillors managed to attend all full council meetings. Nobody in Roscommon missed more than three meetings.
The figures also reveal a wide variation in the number of times councils meet.
Clare County Council racked up 38 meetings in 2008 while Galway County Council sat just 12 times, according to minutes supplied to this newspaper.
Fiach Kelly
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Gormley keeps the pressure on local politicians
Expense accounts and allowances for all politicians must radically reformed, Green Party leader John Gormley said today. The Environment Minister claimed politicians had to lead by example in the effort to address the country’s worsening public finances.
His call for an end of ‘unvouched expenses’ for TDs and Senators — when payments are made without a receipt or proof of record — came as government attempts to get the social partners to agree to two billion euro of cutbacks.
“The political class has to lead by example,” said Mr Gormley. “We’ve always said that the Oireachtas has to get its act together. I think people wouldn’t look on us kindly and we would not have credibility if we did not lead by example and if we did not make those adjustments.”
In an address to candidates for the local and European elections, Mr Gormley said a new Green Deal could create thousands of new jobs through innovation and the use of green technology.
He also promised that by the time of the forthcoming elections, candidates would have “the most radical piece of planning legislation” in their hands which he claimed would overhaul the system and end corrupt zoning.
Mr Gormley, who was in Drogheda to meet election hopefuls, also defended the role of the party in government despite some of its most high profile councillors leaving its ranks.
Cork city’s Chris O’Leary and Dublin city’s Bronwen Maher both resigned this week and criticised the leadership and direction the party was taking in recent days.
A third councillor, Neil Clarke from Donegal, who also quit, claimed more resignations would follow over a growing split between the leadership and grassroots. Mr Gormley said comments made by the former party members were hurtful because they were untrue.
“This party is a dynamic party, it is a committed party, a party that is interested in change, and a party that is getting real change in government,” he continued.
“We will continue, we will work hard in government, we will work hard to ensure our agenda is implemented, and beyond that we will ensure that we will provide the stability and leadership that is required in government because of the very severe economic downturn.”
Mr Gormley maintained the mood remained buoyant among delegates. “But we are also very realistic,” he added. “We know the challenges that we face.
“In government it can be tough, particularly during an economic downturn as we
are now experiencing, but we know the way forward. We know the way forward is the Green Deal and it is something that we will be exploring at our party convention.
“We know that people are concerned and are frightened but they want solutions, they want real leadership and that’s what the Green party is going to offer.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
His call for an end of ‘unvouched expenses’ for TDs and Senators — when payments are made without a receipt or proof of record — came as government attempts to get the social partners to agree to two billion euro of cutbacks.
“The political class has to lead by example,” said Mr Gormley. “We’ve always said that the Oireachtas has to get its act together. I think people wouldn’t look on us kindly and we would not have credibility if we did not lead by example and if we did not make those adjustments.”
In an address to candidates for the local and European elections, Mr Gormley said a new Green Deal could create thousands of new jobs through innovation and the use of green technology.
He also promised that by the time of the forthcoming elections, candidates would have “the most radical piece of planning legislation” in their hands which he claimed would overhaul the system and end corrupt zoning.
Mr Gormley, who was in Drogheda to meet election hopefuls, also defended the role of the party in government despite some of its most high profile councillors leaving its ranks.
Cork city’s Chris O’Leary and Dublin city’s Bronwen Maher both resigned this week and criticised the leadership and direction the party was taking in recent days.
A third councillor, Neil Clarke from Donegal, who also quit, claimed more resignations would follow over a growing split between the leadership and grassroots. Mr Gormley said comments made by the former party members were hurtful because they were untrue.
“This party is a dynamic party, it is a committed party, a party that is interested in change, and a party that is getting real change in government,” he continued.
“We will continue, we will work hard in government, we will work hard to ensure our agenda is implemented, and beyond that we will ensure that we will provide the stability and leadership that is required in government because of the very severe economic downturn.”
Mr Gormley maintained the mood remained buoyant among delegates. “But we are also very realistic,” he added. “We know the challenges that we face.
“In government it can be tough, particularly during an economic downturn as we
are now experiencing, but we know the way forward. We know the way forward is the Green Deal and it is something that we will be exploring at our party convention.
“We know that people are concerned and are frightened but they want solutions, they want real leadership and that’s what the Green party is going to offer.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Dublin will have directly elected mayor in 2011
CITIES such as Cork, Waterford and Galway face a substantial wait to find out if they will get directly elected mayors with budgetary and planning powers.
Environment Minister John Gormley yesterday confirmed his intention to have a directly elected mayor in Dublin in 2011.
If the minister’s proposals are realised, the Dublin mayor would have substantial powers in the areas of planning, housing, water provision and waste disposal. The mayor would also act as chair of the Dublin Transport Authority.
The proposals form part of Mr Gormley’s plans to reform local government. This would mean taking certain powers from central government and giving them to local regions.
Mr Gormley pointed to the example of London but said the experience in Dublin would have to be evaluated before introducing it elsewhere.
“There’s a fixed date for Dublin for 2011. After that, we have to look at what regions, what towns, would benefit from a directly elected mayor, and we’d also have to look at the extent of the powers involved,” he said.
“I think we will certainly have it post-2011. We have to look at Dublin and the experience of Dublin first.”
Mr Gormley acknowledged that the fear of “celebrity” candidates winning had deterred previous governments from introducing directly elected mayors.
The issue of directly elected mayors is just one of a number addressed in the Green Paper on Local Government, published by Mr Gormley yesterday.
Mr Gormley said his ideal of local government was straightforward — “it should be democratic, accountable and provide quality services as close to the citizen as possible.”
Once the discussion phase is complete, a white paper will be drawn up outlining the specific plans Mr Gormley wishes to follow.
Labour welcomed the green paper, but said the failure to propose justice, education and health powers for local authorities was a “missed opportunity” for the discussion.
Mr Gormley said those issues would continue to be dealt with “on a national basis” by central government.
There was stronger criticism from the Think Tank for Action on Social Change, which said the proposal to add directly-elected mayors to an unreformed local authority system would simply “create more confusion”.
“The Green Paper does not propose to reform in any meaningful way Ireland’s centralised and dysfunctional system of local government by transferring real powers from central to local government,” Paula Clancy of Tasc said. “By imposing a directly elected mayor on this unreformed system, all that will happen will be the creation of another layer of bureaucracy causing more administrative confusion,” she said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Environment Minister John Gormley yesterday confirmed his intention to have a directly elected mayor in Dublin in 2011.
If the minister’s proposals are realised, the Dublin mayor would have substantial powers in the areas of planning, housing, water provision and waste disposal. The mayor would also act as chair of the Dublin Transport Authority.
The proposals form part of Mr Gormley’s plans to reform local government. This would mean taking certain powers from central government and giving them to local regions.
Mr Gormley pointed to the example of London but said the experience in Dublin would have to be evaluated before introducing it elsewhere.
“There’s a fixed date for Dublin for 2011. After that, we have to look at what regions, what towns, would benefit from a directly elected mayor, and we’d also have to look at the extent of the powers involved,” he said.
“I think we will certainly have it post-2011. We have to look at Dublin and the experience of Dublin first.”
Mr Gormley acknowledged that the fear of “celebrity” candidates winning had deterred previous governments from introducing directly elected mayors.
The issue of directly elected mayors is just one of a number addressed in the Green Paper on Local Government, published by Mr Gormley yesterday.
Mr Gormley said his ideal of local government was straightforward — “it should be democratic, accountable and provide quality services as close to the citizen as possible.”
Once the discussion phase is complete, a white paper will be drawn up outlining the specific plans Mr Gormley wishes to follow.
Labour welcomed the green paper, but said the failure to propose justice, education and health powers for local authorities was a “missed opportunity” for the discussion.
Mr Gormley said those issues would continue to be dealt with “on a national basis” by central government.
There was stronger criticism from the Think Tank for Action on Social Change, which said the proposal to add directly-elected mayors to an unreformed local authority system would simply “create more confusion”.
“The Green Paper does not propose to reform in any meaningful way Ireland’s centralised and dysfunctional system of local government by transferring real powers from central to local government,” Paula Clancy of Tasc said. “By imposing a directly elected mayor on this unreformed system, all that will happen will be the creation of another layer of bureaucracy causing more administrative confusion,” she said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin to have directly elected mayor in plan
A PLAN for local government reform published by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, yesterday was described by the Opposition as "disappointing", due to the limited number of concrete proposals.
One key commitment made by Mr Gormley was that the Dublin region will have its own directly elected mayor with real power in three years time but the details of those powers have still to be worked out.
Launching the Green Paper discussion document, "Stronger Local Democracy: Options for Change," the Mr Gormley said he favoured the Dublin mayor having executive powers to deal with issues like planning, waste and transport, akin to the mayor of London.
The Green Paper acknowledged the need for proper funding of local government but made no specific proposals. However, Mr Gormley expressed support for the idea of the mayor having the power to impose congestion charges on the London model.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the Green Paper proposed a range of executive powers for the mayor to deal with planning, housing, water provision and waste disposal and it also proposed that the mayor should act as chairman of the Dublin Transport Authority.
Mr Gormley said he had discussed this issue with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who had no objection to the plan.
The Green Paper also proposes that all cities and counties should ultimately have directly elected mayors and also that key gateways such as Limerick, Waterford and Sligo should have revised structures of local government.
"We need to give local government greater freedom and capacity to tackle local issues locally, working on its own initiative and in partnership with other local and state agencies.
Fine Gael spokesman on local government Phil Hogan expressed disappointment at the Minister's plans, which he said were high on rhetoric but low on detail. "The proposals include a directly elected mayor for Dublin, with the possibility of directly elected mayors in other cities and counties, but do not explain the functions of this office. There is no indication either in the document of how devolved functions would operate from central to local government, or how local government will be funded into the future."
Mr Hogan said that citizens required good quality services at local level with meaningful, democratic and accountable structures but the Minister had ignored the issues of devolution and funding which would enable those objectives to be met.
Labour Party spokesman on local government Ciaran Lynch welcomed the Green Paper and said that at first glance it raised many issues, and included some proposals that were broadly in line with his party's policy.
He added that there was no logic in leaving direct elections for a Dublin mayor to 2011 when all the other members of Dublin local authorities will have been elected for a five-year term in 2009.
"It would be illogical and impractical to have mayors and other members operating overlapping periods in office. There is no reason why the plan cannot be in place for 2009. The Minister also seems to have ducked issue of the creation of new town councils," said Mr Lynch.
Tasc, a think tank for action on social change, expressed "profound disappointment" at what it termed the Government's "fudge" over local government reform. Paula Clancy, director of Tasc, said the proposal to create a directly elected mayor for Dublin was a red herring .
"The Green Paper does not propose to reform in any meaningful way Ireland's centralised and dysfunctional system of local government by transferring real powers from central to local government," said Ms Clancy.
"By imposing a directly elected mayor on this unreformed system all that will happen will be the creation of another layer of bureaucracy, causing yet more administrative confusion."
Green Paper: main proposals
The main elements of the Green Paper are:
A directly-elected mayor for the Dublin region.
Directly-elected mayors in other cities and counties.
Devolution of decision making to town councils.
New ethics legislation for councillors.
A cap on council election spending of €5,000 per candidate.
A new system of funding local government.
A change in the role of county managers, with more power given to elected representatives.
Improved customer service.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
One key commitment made by Mr Gormley was that the Dublin region will have its own directly elected mayor with real power in three years time but the details of those powers have still to be worked out.
Launching the Green Paper discussion document, "Stronger Local Democracy: Options for Change," the Mr Gormley said he favoured the Dublin mayor having executive powers to deal with issues like planning, waste and transport, akin to the mayor of London.
The Green Paper acknowledged the need for proper funding of local government but made no specific proposals. However, Mr Gormley expressed support for the idea of the mayor having the power to impose congestion charges on the London model.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the Green Paper proposed a range of executive powers for the mayor to deal with planning, housing, water provision and waste disposal and it also proposed that the mayor should act as chairman of the Dublin Transport Authority.
Mr Gormley said he had discussed this issue with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who had no objection to the plan.
The Green Paper also proposes that all cities and counties should ultimately have directly elected mayors and also that key gateways such as Limerick, Waterford and Sligo should have revised structures of local government.
"We need to give local government greater freedom and capacity to tackle local issues locally, working on its own initiative and in partnership with other local and state agencies.
Fine Gael spokesman on local government Phil Hogan expressed disappointment at the Minister's plans, which he said were high on rhetoric but low on detail. "The proposals include a directly elected mayor for Dublin, with the possibility of directly elected mayors in other cities and counties, but do not explain the functions of this office. There is no indication either in the document of how devolved functions would operate from central to local government, or how local government will be funded into the future."
Mr Hogan said that citizens required good quality services at local level with meaningful, democratic and accountable structures but the Minister had ignored the issues of devolution and funding which would enable those objectives to be met.
Labour Party spokesman on local government Ciaran Lynch welcomed the Green Paper and said that at first glance it raised many issues, and included some proposals that were broadly in line with his party's policy.
He added that there was no logic in leaving direct elections for a Dublin mayor to 2011 when all the other members of Dublin local authorities will have been elected for a five-year term in 2009.
"It would be illogical and impractical to have mayors and other members operating overlapping periods in office. There is no reason why the plan cannot be in place for 2009. The Minister also seems to have ducked issue of the creation of new town councils," said Mr Lynch.
Tasc, a think tank for action on social change, expressed "profound disappointment" at what it termed the Government's "fudge" over local government reform. Paula Clancy, director of Tasc, said the proposal to create a directly elected mayor for Dublin was a red herring .
"The Green Paper does not propose to reform in any meaningful way Ireland's centralised and dysfunctional system of local government by transferring real powers from central to local government," said Ms Clancy.
"By imposing a directly elected mayor on this unreformed system all that will happen will be the creation of another layer of bureaucracy, causing yet more administrative confusion."
Green Paper: main proposals
The main elements of the Green Paper are:
A directly-elected mayor for the Dublin region.
Directly-elected mayors in other cities and counties.
Devolution of decision making to town councils.
New ethics legislation for councillors.
A cap on council election spending of €5,000 per candidate.
A new system of funding local government.
A change in the role of county managers, with more power given to elected representatives.
Improved customer service.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin to have directly elected mayor in plan
A PLAN for local government reform published by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, yesterday was described by the Opposition as "disappointing", due to the limited number of concrete proposals.
One key commitment made by Mr Gormley was that the Dublin region will have its own directly elected mayor with real power in three years time but the details of those powers have still to be worked out.
Launching the Green Paper discussion document, "Stronger Local Democracy: Options for Change," the Mr Gormley said he favoured the Dublin mayor having executive powers to deal with issues like planning, waste and transport, akin to the mayor of London.
The Green Paper acknowledged the need for proper funding of local government but made no specific proposals. However, Mr Gormley expressed support for the idea of the mayor having the power to impose congestion charges on the London model.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the Green Paper proposed a range of executive powers for the mayor to deal with planning, housing, water provision and waste disposal and it also proposed that the mayor should act as chairman of the Dublin Transport Authority.
Mr Gormley said he had discussed this issue with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who had no objection to the plan.
The Green Paper also proposes that all cities and counties should ultimately have directly elected mayors and also that key gateways such as Limerick, Waterford and Sligo should have revised structures of local government.
"We need to give local government greater freedom and capacity to tackle local issues locally, working on its own initiative and in partnership with other local and state agencies.
Fine Gael spokesman on local government Phil Hogan expressed disappointment at the Minister's plans, which he said were high on rhetoric but low on detail. "The proposals include a directly elected mayor for Dublin, with the possibility of directly elected mayors in other cities and counties, but do not explain the functions of this office. There is no indication either in the document of how devolved functions would operate from central to local government, or how local government will be funded into the future."
Mr Hogan said that citizens required good quality services at local level with meaningful, democratic and accountable structures but the Minister had ignored the issues of devolution and funding which would enable those objectives to be met.
Labour Party spokesman on local government Ciaran Lynch welcomed the Green Paper and said that at first glance it raised many issues, and included some proposals that were broadly in line with his party's policy.
He added that there was no logic in leaving direct elections for a Dublin mayor to 2011 when all the other members of Dublin local authorities will have been elected for a five-year term in 2009.
"It would be illogical and impractical to have mayors and other members operating overlapping periods in office. There is no reason why the plan cannot be in place for 2009. The Minister also seems to have ducked issue of the creation of new town councils," said Mr Lynch.
Tasc, a think tank for action on social change, expressed "profound disappointment" at what it termed the Government's "fudge" over local government reform. Paula Clancy, director of Tasc, said the proposal to create a directly elected mayor for Dublin was a red herring .
"The Green Paper does not propose to reform in any meaningful way Ireland's centralised and dysfunctional system of local government by transferring real powers from central to local government," said Ms Clancy.
"By imposing a directly elected mayor on this unreformed system all that will happen will be the creation of another layer of bureaucracy, causing yet more administrative confusion."
Green Paper: main proposals
The main elements of the Green Paper are:
A directly-elected mayor for the Dublin region.
Directly-elected mayors in other cities and counties.
Devolution of decision making to town councils.
New ethics legislation for councillors.
A cap on council election spending of €5,000 per candidate.
A new system of funding local government.
A change in the role of county managers, with more power given to elected representatives.
Improved customer service.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
One key commitment made by Mr Gormley was that the Dublin region will have its own directly elected mayor with real power in three years time but the details of those powers have still to be worked out.
Launching the Green Paper discussion document, "Stronger Local Democracy: Options for Change," the Mr Gormley said he favoured the Dublin mayor having executive powers to deal with issues like planning, waste and transport, akin to the mayor of London.
The Green Paper acknowledged the need for proper funding of local government but made no specific proposals. However, Mr Gormley expressed support for the idea of the mayor having the power to impose congestion charges on the London model.
The Minister pointed to the fact that the Green Paper proposed a range of executive powers for the mayor to deal with planning, housing, water provision and waste disposal and it also proposed that the mayor should act as chairman of the Dublin Transport Authority.
Mr Gormley said he had discussed this issue with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who had no objection to the plan.
The Green Paper also proposes that all cities and counties should ultimately have directly elected mayors and also that key gateways such as Limerick, Waterford and Sligo should have revised structures of local government.
"We need to give local government greater freedom and capacity to tackle local issues locally, working on its own initiative and in partnership with other local and state agencies.
Fine Gael spokesman on local government Phil Hogan expressed disappointment at the Minister's plans, which he said were high on rhetoric but low on detail. "The proposals include a directly elected mayor for Dublin, with the possibility of directly elected mayors in other cities and counties, but do not explain the functions of this office. There is no indication either in the document of how devolved functions would operate from central to local government, or how local government will be funded into the future."
Mr Hogan said that citizens required good quality services at local level with meaningful, democratic and accountable structures but the Minister had ignored the issues of devolution and funding which would enable those objectives to be met.
Labour Party spokesman on local government Ciaran Lynch welcomed the Green Paper and said that at first glance it raised many issues, and included some proposals that were broadly in line with his party's policy.
He added that there was no logic in leaving direct elections for a Dublin mayor to 2011 when all the other members of Dublin local authorities will have been elected for a five-year term in 2009.
"It would be illogical and impractical to have mayors and other members operating overlapping periods in office. There is no reason why the plan cannot be in place for 2009. The Minister also seems to have ducked issue of the creation of new town councils," said Mr Lynch.
Tasc, a think tank for action on social change, expressed "profound disappointment" at what it termed the Government's "fudge" over local government reform. Paula Clancy, director of Tasc, said the proposal to create a directly elected mayor for Dublin was a red herring .
"The Green Paper does not propose to reform in any meaningful way Ireland's centralised and dysfunctional system of local government by transferring real powers from central to local government," said Ms Clancy.
"By imposing a directly elected mayor on this unreformed system all that will happen will be the creation of another layer of bureaucracy, causing yet more administrative confusion."
Green Paper: main proposals
The main elements of the Green Paper are:
A directly-elected mayor for the Dublin region.
Directly-elected mayors in other cities and counties.
Devolution of decision making to town councils.
New ethics legislation for councillors.
A cap on council election spending of €5,000 per candidate.
A new system of funding local government.
A change in the role of county managers, with more power given to elected representatives.
Improved customer service.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Green Paper with elected mayor for Dublin to be published next week
PROPOSALS FOR a directly-elected mayor of Dublin are to be unveiled next week, the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, has said.
They will be contained in the Green Paper on the reform of local government which is expected to strengthen the powers of councillors, create new local authorities and cap spending on elections.
The transformation of local government was one of the key issues for the Green Party while negotiating the programme for government with Fianna Fáil last year.
Mr Gormley said a directly-elected mayor for Dublin will be in place by 2011 with the power to transform the city in terms of litter, waste and transport.
Speaking at the launch of a countrywide initiative to tackle graffiti, Mr Gormley said a directly-elected mayor would be best placed to deal with issues like graffiti in Dublin as Ken Livingstone had done as mayor of London.
Livingstone brought in a voluntary ban on spray paints and his Capital Standards initiative tripled the number of fines being handed out for graffiti.
"They [ Londoners] have a directly elected mayor who has introduced a number of initiatives not just in relation to graffiti, but also transport and London has been transformed as a consequence," Mr Gormley said.
The Community Graffiti Reduction Programme here has been allocated €3.75 million.
Money will be available initially in deprived Rapid (Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment and Development) areas only, but will become available for areas in the rest of the country later this year.
Funding will be available, not just for clean-up operations, but also to support education and community arts projects to give youngsters who are interested in graffiti an outdoor platform without defacing the environment.
Mr Gormley said that graffiti is an issue that is raised "again and again" by constituents and measures were being examined that would lead to more prosecutions especially for "taggers" who leave a signature.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Brian Lenihan, who also attended the launch in Dublin yesterday, said creating a climate where graffiti did not flourish was "very important in the fight against crime".
"It creates the culture of compliance that we want to create in all our cities," he said.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
They will be contained in the Green Paper on the reform of local government which is expected to strengthen the powers of councillors, create new local authorities and cap spending on elections.
The transformation of local government was one of the key issues for the Green Party while negotiating the programme for government with Fianna Fáil last year.
Mr Gormley said a directly-elected mayor for Dublin will be in place by 2011 with the power to transform the city in terms of litter, waste and transport.
Speaking at the launch of a countrywide initiative to tackle graffiti, Mr Gormley said a directly-elected mayor would be best placed to deal with issues like graffiti in Dublin as Ken Livingstone had done as mayor of London.
Livingstone brought in a voluntary ban on spray paints and his Capital Standards initiative tripled the number of fines being handed out for graffiti.
"They [ Londoners] have a directly elected mayor who has introduced a number of initiatives not just in relation to graffiti, but also transport and London has been transformed as a consequence," Mr Gormley said.
The Community Graffiti Reduction Programme here has been allocated €3.75 million.
Money will be available initially in deprived Rapid (Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment and Development) areas only, but will become available for areas in the rest of the country later this year.
Funding will be available, not just for clean-up operations, but also to support education and community arts projects to give youngsters who are interested in graffiti an outdoor platform without defacing the environment.
Mr Gormley said that graffiti is an issue that is raised "again and again" by constituents and measures were being examined that would lead to more prosecutions especially for "taggers" who leave a signature.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Brian Lenihan, who also attended the launch in Dublin yesterday, said creating a climate where graffiti did not flourish was "very important in the fight against crime".
"It creates the culture of compliance that we want to create in all our cities," he said.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Gormley announces local government reform programme
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD has announced a programme that will lead towards one of the largest reforms ever to occur in how local government works in Ireland.
The programme - which will lead to a directly elected mayor with real powers for Dublin in 2011 - aims to reconnect town, city and county councils with the local people and local communities they serve.
The reform programme will begin with a request for submissions from the general public and interested bodies, which will feed into a Green Paper on local government reform, to be published in the next six months. The Green Paper will outline the various reform options to be considered on how local authorities operate.
The Minister proposes to establish a consultative committee - drawing on expertise in local government from councillors, managers, academics and other interested bodies - to advise on the Green paper. However, the most important element of the consultation process is to hear from individuals and community groups with their input on how local government can be improved.
Key areas the Green Paper will address include -
* How a directly elected Mayor will operate in Dublin, what powers will the office have and what areas will it be responsible for;
* Should there be directly elected Mayors for other towns or counties in the country?
* Should there be a rebalancing of powers between elected councillors and local authority managers and officials?
* Should new town councils be established for the new large communities that have been built up in the last decade?
Advertisements seeking submissions from the general public will appear in the local and national press in the coming weeks and months.
Announcing the start of the consultation process, Minister Gormley said it was important - "to build maximum consensus" - on the local government reform programme.
"The Green Paper will mark a start to the reform process. It will set out options for change. I hope, in turn, that the Green Paper sparks national debate on local government reform. It is my intention to intensify the consultation with interested groups, political parties and the general public, following on the publication of the Green Paper by year-end. I wish to achieve as much consensus as possible on the reform agenda before finalising my proposals in a White Paper next year.
"I will also be asking the general public for their input. Local councils have traditionally provided the public with key basic services - from roads and water, to housing and waste management. Their role has expanded in recent years to cover a huge range of functions to proactively build communities, promote tourism, drive economic development and pursue social inclusion.
"I want to hear from the citizen - the customer of the local council - on how they think the local government service can be improved.
"The Programme for Government contains an absolute commitment to introduce a directly elected mayor for Dublin by 2011. Dublin's profile as a leading European and World City has never been so high - yet, we all know that it faces many challenges in pursuing the goal of becoming a truly sustainable city.
"A city of Dublin's status needs a Mayor who can act as the voice of the city. That can best be achieved by a directly elected Mayor - with real powers - and with the certainty of a reasonable term in office" - stated Minister Gormley.
The programme - which will lead to a directly elected mayor with real powers for Dublin in 2011 - aims to reconnect town, city and county councils with the local people and local communities they serve.
The reform programme will begin with a request for submissions from the general public and interested bodies, which will feed into a Green Paper on local government reform, to be published in the next six months. The Green Paper will outline the various reform options to be considered on how local authorities operate.
The Minister proposes to establish a consultative committee - drawing on expertise in local government from councillors, managers, academics and other interested bodies - to advise on the Green paper. However, the most important element of the consultation process is to hear from individuals and community groups with their input on how local government can be improved.
Key areas the Green Paper will address include -
* How a directly elected Mayor will operate in Dublin, what powers will the office have and what areas will it be responsible for;
* Should there be directly elected Mayors for other towns or counties in the country?
* Should there be a rebalancing of powers between elected councillors and local authority managers and officials?
* Should new town councils be established for the new large communities that have been built up in the last decade?
Advertisements seeking submissions from the general public will appear in the local and national press in the coming weeks and months.
Announcing the start of the consultation process, Minister Gormley said it was important - "to build maximum consensus" - on the local government reform programme.
"The Green Paper will mark a start to the reform process. It will set out options for change. I hope, in turn, that the Green Paper sparks national debate on local government reform. It is my intention to intensify the consultation with interested groups, political parties and the general public, following on the publication of the Green Paper by year-end. I wish to achieve as much consensus as possible on the reform agenda before finalising my proposals in a White Paper next year.
"I will also be asking the general public for their input. Local councils have traditionally provided the public with key basic services - from roads and water, to housing and waste management. Their role has expanded in recent years to cover a huge range of functions to proactively build communities, promote tourism, drive economic development and pursue social inclusion.
"I want to hear from the citizen - the customer of the local council - on how they think the local government service can be improved.
"The Programme for Government contains an absolute commitment to introduce a directly elected mayor for Dublin by 2011. Dublin's profile as a leading European and World City has never been so high - yet, we all know that it faces many challenges in pursuing the goal of becoming a truly sustainable city.
"A city of Dublin's status needs a Mayor who can act as the voice of the city. That can best be achieved by a directly elected Mayor - with real powers - and with the certainty of a reasonable term in office" - stated Minister Gormley.
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