Councillors claim cuts will affect resources
The Government insisted the move would help save €45m as part of plans to reform local government.
Its report, though, also suggested it has been advised by an expert group to let households self-assess their homes for the proposed property tax, which will fund local authorities.
But coalition-party councillors hit out at the report and decisions by Government, including moves to merge some city and county councils.
The mayor of Waterford said his city’s resources and status would be affected by the proposed changes.
Fine Gael councillor Jim D’Arcy stressed that Waterford would not be on a level playing field in terms of “city status”, as it would not have the same resources compared to cities such as Cork or Galway, which will not be merged with county councils.
Labour’s John Walsh, a member of Ballinasloe Town Council, said the move was a blow to local democracy.
The Green Party, whose members moved to introduce significant local government reform during the last administration, said the plans risked creating “a shadowy new planning world”.
“They will leave us with the worst of all worlds,” said Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. “A dysfunctional administrative systems which is now accountable to less public oversight rather than more.
“With their hold on so many councils, it might suit Fine Gael and Labour in the short run but it will create just the sort of shadowy planning world the [Mahon] Tribunal warned against.”
While 80 town councils will be abolished, city and county councils are to be merged in Waterford and Limerick. The two councils in Tipperary will also be merged.
City and county councils will only remain in Galway and Cork, while Dublin will retain its four local authorities.
The changes will be introduced before the 2014 local elections. After that time, Dublin voters will decide if they want a democratically elected mayor for the city.
Minister for Local Government Phil Hogan defended the decision to use the proposed property tax to directly fund future services for councils.
“That connection between local tax and local service was severed by a government in 1977 for electoral gain,” said Mr Hogan. “In my view, that was the wrong way to go, and I believe that disastrous decision has been the root cause of much of the malaise that exists in the local government system today.”
The report, Putting People First, pointed out that an expert tax group had told the Government the property tax should “be easily determined (e.g. on a self-assessment basis)”.
Barry Cowen, Fianna Fáil environment spokesman, said the Government had failed to create a planning regulator in it reforms.
“Despite the successful spin that the minister and his handlers have put on the report, this is about cuts,” said Mr Cowen. “It is not about political reform.”
Town councils to be axed:
Clonmel Borough
Drogheda Borough
Kilkenny Borough
Sligo Borough
Wexford Borough
Arklow
Athlone
Athy
Ballina
Ballinasloe
Birr
Bray
Buncrana
Bundoran
Carlow
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrickmacross
Cashel
Castlebar
Castleblayney
Cavan
Clonakilty
Clones
Cobh
Dundalk
Dungarvan
Ennis
Enniscorthy
Fermoy
Kells
Killarney
Kilrush
Kinsale
Letterkenny
Listowel
Longford
Macroom
Mallow
Midleton
Monaghan
Naas
Navan
Nenagh
New Ross
Skibbereen
Templemore
Thurles
Tipperary
Tralee
Trim
Tullamore
Westport
Wicklow
Youghal
Ardee
Balbriggan
Ballybay
Ballyshannon
Bandon
Bantry
Belturbet
Boyle
Cootehill
Droichead Nua
Edenderry
Gorey
Granard
Greystones
Kilkee
Leixlip
Lismore
Loughrea
Mountmellick
Muinbheag
Mullingar
Passage West
Portlaoise
Shannon
Tramore
Tuam
STRUCTURES
* There will be a reduction in the number of local authorities from 114 to 31 city and county councils with integrated areas called ‘municipal districts’. All 80 town councils will be abolished.
* Council seats will be reduced from 1,627 to no more than 950 — a reduction of 42%. The members elected at local level will also represent the district at county level.
* At regional level, three new assemblies will replace the current 10 regional authorities and assemblies.
* There will be a rebalancing of representation nationally and more equality of representation between local electoral areas within counties.
* The city and county councils in Limerick and Waterford will be merged into a single authority, as will the two county councils in Tipperary. Cork and Galway will retain city as well as county councils, while Dublin will keep its current four councils.
* A directly elected mayor for Dublin will be considered but only after voters in the capital are consulted by a plebiscite to be held alongside the local elections in 2014.
FUNDING, GOVERNANCE, AND ACCOUNTABILITY
* Services administered by local authorities will be funded through the new local property tax.
* There will be an independent National Oversight and Audit Commission to scrutinise local government performance and efficiency.
* Local authority audit committees will be strengthened.
* Local authority managers are to be replaced by chief executives. This is designed to ensure that the chief executive should be accountable to the elected members in the discharge of all his/her functions, in the same way as a chief executive of a company reports to a board of directors.
* The structures and levels of all payments to councillors will be reviewed.
* The role and functions of the elected council are to be widened.
* Local authorities will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that the way they conduct their business encourages the greater participation of women in politics.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOB CREATION
* There will be new, dedicated strategic policy committees for economic development in each local authority.
* The role of director of services for economic and community development will be created in those local authorities with hubs and gateways.
* Economic development plans will form part of the city or county development plan.
* Local authorities will build on the 2,000 job initiatives already in train.
EFFICIENCY
* New measures to monitor the performance of local authorities, with emphasis on targets, customer service, and value-for-money will be introduced.
* Service plans will be approved by elected members in each authority.
* New robust systems of performance monitoring, including scrutiny by the National Oversight Audit Commission, will focus on key indicators, value for money, comparative performance of local authorities, and outcomes rather than outputs.
* To improve the relationship between the authority and the community they serve, each county and city council will be required to have a dedicated and suitably trained customer services officer.
* Read more:
Councils set to decide property tax rates
Strength of local government is the fact that it is accessible
Councillors claim cuts will affect resources
Power to overturn planning decisions to be abolished
Minister gives Cork councils 5 years to agree extension to city boundary
1,200 gratuities and redundancy packages will cost State millions
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
