Local authority group members call for restoration of town hall and mayor title

The loss of the town hall, town clerk, and title mayor is a huge blow to towns across the country, the Local Authority Members’ Association has warned.

A review of the reforms of local government implemented by former minister Phil Hogan, is examining if the changes are working.

At a meeting with Housing and Local Government Minister Simon Coveney, the association said there were serious issues with the size of some of the electoral districts, and boundaries should be reviewed. It also wants the restoration of some town councils.

In June 2014, under the most radical reform of local government structures in 115 years, 80 town councils were eliminated, and the number of local authorities reduced from 114 to 31.

The number of councillors fell to 949, down from a total of 1,627.

However, calls for the return of town councils, for the general application of the title mayor (under the 2014 Act this is generally reserved for towns with populations over 20,000) and deputy mayor instead of the unwieldy ‘cathaoirleach’ and ‘leas-chathaoirleach’, and for control of finance to be given back to towns persist.

The reforms sucked the power out of the towns, are giving unelected chambers of commerce undue power, and gave the rural hinterland undue ‘weight’, it has been argued.

An emergency motion to ask Mr Coveney to restore the title of mayor to Killarney (population 14,000) was passed at Kerry’s mayoral elections on Monday. The Killarney district is defying instructions to use ‘cathaoirleach’ and has continued to introduce its ‘cathaoirligh’ as mayor.

General secretary of the association Bobby O’Connell, a Fine Gael councillor in Castleisland and outgoing mayor of Killarney, said the association wanted “a direct input” into the reforms which are being carried out and had told Mr Coveney they also wanted boundaries looked at.

Housing and Local Government Minister Simon Coveney

“The areas should not be population-based solely. South and west Kerry is 60 miles from Kenmare to Dingle — taking in three peninsulas — is the biggest in the country and it is too big. It is the size of some Dáil constituencies,” Mr O’Connell said.

Duplication and repetition was a feature of the new structures when it came to meetings and council business, Mr O’Connell also said.

A return of town councils perhaps for those with populations over 7,000 is also being sought.

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government has said: “An operational review of the reformed local government structures was initiated in 2015 and is continuing in 2016 to ensure that the new structures are operating effectively and as intended.

“Matters under examination include how the merged authorities and municipal district system is working, the financial role of municipal district members, civic aspects including use of the title of mayor, the work of local authority elected members in the context of the new local government arrangements, and the role of local government in relation to economic and social aspects of urban areas.”