Green Party Submission to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on Local Government Reform
 

Green Party Submission, September 2007

The Green Party recognises that any local government reforms lack substance unless substantial financial independence is provided for local authorities. The abolition of domestic rates in 1997 and subsequent decisions by successive governments led to reductions in powers, responsibility and fiscal independence for local government. Addressing this deficit needs to be at the core of any attempt at reforming and modernising local government. In this regard we endorse the principle recommendations of the 2005 Indecon Review of Local Government Financing, and the Local Government Reorganisation and Reform Report, 1990. 

Local Authorities can have an important role in installing and promoting civic pride in Ireland. They must harness and translate local enthusiasm and values into creative action and participation in governance at a local level. Local Government needs to be made into something that attracts capable, public-spirited people from diverse backgrounds who want to make a difference in their communities. The challenge of developing ‘real’ local democracy in Ireland should not be underestimated.  It will involve major institutional change.  County managers have acquired extensive executive powers and, also importantly, they have considerable resource advantages over councillors and this has the effect of increasing their dominance. This needs to be challenged. 

The Green Party proposes nothing less than a radical devolving of powers from central government to local authorities in order to fulfil this objective. A three tier system is proposed comprising Regional Assemblies, City and County Councils, and where appropriate, District Councils. 

The proposed revised structure of local government is as follows. 

Regional Assemblies

It is recommended that five Regional Assemblies be created. Their principal functions shall be at a strategic planning and development level.  They shall plan and co-ordinate the social, environmental and economic direction of their region. Issues that may be addressed shall include transportation and land-use, waste, water supply, and sewage treatment. The Assemblies shall be based on the rationalisation of the current eight regional authorities. The two existing regional assemblies (BMW, and Southern & Eastern) set up for EU Structural Funds purposes shall be dissolved

It is recommended that the members of the Assemblies be directly elected, and that each of these authorities have a directly elected mayor. They shall be given the powers to provide the strategic direction of their respective areas. Where county or city council policies have a significant trans-boundary dimension these issues should be dealt with at a regional level.  

These changes shall lead to significant transfer of power and resources to regional authorities. They may require additional staff and accommodation for the Authorities. It is envisaged that many of these staff may be attracted from Government Departments and exiting Local Authorities.

There is a need to amalgamate regional authorities outside of the Dublin area in order to provide coherency. This may result in the establishment of the following five Assemblies:

• Dublin Metropolitan Assembly
• Mid-Eastern Regional Assembly
• South East Regional Assembly
• Southern and Midwest Assembly
• Northern and Western Assembly

Region Assemblies shall be given fiscal autonomy from central government.

It is recommended that there be one regional assembly member per 50,000 people.

It is recommended that regional assembly members be paid a similar salary to that of senators. The Mayor of the Dublin Metropolitan Assembly shall be paid twice the salary of the regional assembly members. The Mayors of other regional Assemblies shall be paid a salary proportional to the population that they represent. 

City and County Councils

The City and County Councils principal functions shall plan, manage and provide key services in their area. They shall be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of such services and provide a vital point of contact between citizens and the State. 

The plans and programmes of City and County Councils shall be in conformity with those of the Assemblies. This is in marked contrast to the current system whereby Councils’ Plans must ‘have regard’ to superior Plans.  

Local Authorities shall provide community, cultural, social, economic, democratic, environmental leadership in their areas. It is envisaged that considerable functions shall be devolved from Government Departments to both the Regional and Local Authorities. 

It is envisaged that strategic planning in several areas such as policing, education, housing and health may be decided either directly by the Council or in partnership with the relevant body. 

Local Authorities shall be given fiscal autonomy from central government and shall have the power to provide and maintain infrastructure through local revenue raising powers. 

Currently there is a wide disparity in population per councillor. It is recommended that the ratio of population per councillor should be broadly similar in both urban and rural areas, and that there should be no significant increase in the overall number of councillors. In addition, account shall also be taken of the geographical area represented by each councillor, to ensure that councillors do not represent excessively large geographical areas. 

The special position of the greater Dublin area is recognised. The city has expanded dramatically in recent years and the city and county areas of Dublin attract daily commuters from all of Leinster and beyond. In addition the four Dublin Counties have failed to establish a strong civic identity amongst their respective populations. 

It is proposed that the four Dublin Councils be divided into smaller Councils that have a more coherent civic identity. This could be done on the basis of Dáil constituencies; on the basis of the local area committees of the respective councils; or other criteria that would best reflect geographical or social identity and cohesion. These changes would lead to the creation of around ten new Council areas. 

It is recommended that there be one city or county councillor for a population between four and five thousand  people. Leitrim with a population of 28,000 and 22 county councillors is currently over-represented and Dublin City with a population of 505,000 and 52 councillors is significantly under-represented. 

It is recommended that a non-executive Mayor be elected to head each of the major city councils including Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick in the 2009 local elections for a five year term. 

The system of compensation for local elected representatives should be reviewed, and ‘unvouched’ expenses should be terminated. Mileage expenses should only be payable where public transport is unavailable, and unlike the current system should not increase for vehicles with a higher engine capacity. 

Urban District Councils 

The Party proposes that any area with a population greater than 7,500 may have a directly elected district council, composed of at least five members. In urban areas these may be modelled on the existing town council structure, although where feasible the boundaries should correspond to a city or county council ward. 

Several functions could be devolved from county and city councils to district councils. Functions such as waste and litter control, traffic management, playgrounds, housing, burial grounds, amenities, and community buildings may be dealt with by these councils. 

Concerns have been raised at the amount of Planning Authorities within the State. It is recommended that only city and county councils retain planning functions in regard to development control. This would reduce the amount of Planning Authorities from 88 to 33 in the short-term, although the number would rise with the establishment of new Dublin Councils. 

The plans and programmes of District Councils shall be in conformity with those of the superior authorities. 

It is recommended that there be one district councillor per 1,500 people. 

Ensuring proper balance of power at local levels between the Manager and elected Representatives. 

The Green Party believes that the balance of powers in local councils should be between a directly elected mayor and the Council rather than the current arrangement of a City/County Manager and the council. 

The directly elected Mayor would assume certain functions currently assigned to the City / County Manager and the Manager’s role would become a Chief Executive Officer position. 

At its first meeting subsequent to the election Assemblies and Councils should select the chairs and membership of Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) using the D’Hondt method to ensure that all substantial political groupings within each council are adequately represented. It is proposed that the chairs of Strategic Policy Committees would be selected for a five year period and would occupy the position on a full-time remunerated basis. The Mayor and Chairs of SPC would comprise the Executive within Council. 

Improved Council oversight and scrutiny functions would enable elected councillors to better hold the Executive to account.

The current system of senior local authority staff occupying Director of Service positions would continue, but their roles would change. The chairs of the SPCs would assume strategic control of their respective departments. The elected chairs of each SPC would be responsible for the strategic direction and vision of their respective departments, but the day-to-day running would be carried out by the Directors of Services who would occupy Executive Officer positions within their respective Departments. 

It is noted that local government expenditure in Denmark consumes approximately one third of GDP whereas in Ireland the figure is closer to ten per cent. With the devolving of powers from central government to local authorities in Ireland this figure is anticipated to rise, and there would be a commensurate reduction in central government’s share of GDP. 

Directly Elected Mayors/Chairs 

The Green Party has ensured that there is now a written agreement to provide for a directly elected Mayor for Dublin with executive powers by 2011. We envisage that this person would be elected to head a democratically elected council for Metropolitan Dublin to include the current four Dublin local authorities. This Council headed by a mayor with executive powers would make decisions regarding the long term strategic management of the city including land-use and transportation.

It is proposed that city / county council elections take place in conjunction with mayoral elections to coincide with European Elections on a five-yearly basis. 

Within each city and county council area there would be election for councillors to represent each ward and for a mayoral candidate to head the council for a five year period. 

Provision of Quality Customer Service 

A directory containing an A-Z guide to Council Services should be delivered to every household in county. 

Each city, county and town council should have websites designed on a standard model that contains information with direct phone line and responsibilities of key council staff. Council Meeting should be available in real time and in archive format in broadcast and podcast formats. 

All council meeting chambers should be provided with generous public galleries, and the system of councillors signing in visitors should be terminated. Instead the public should be given a right to attend meetings that does not depend on the discretion of councillors. 

Expenditure limits at local elections. 

In the 2004 local elections several candidates spent tens of thousands of Euro on their respective campaigns. They may also have spent more in the period outside the campaign itself, as such spending does not have to be declared. 

It is recommended that local election candidates should be limited to a maximum of €5,000 on their political activities in the twelve months prior to a local election. This should encourage greater political participation from the marginalised and socially excluded.