'Local councillors will no longer be able to hide from decisions' – James Browne

Proposed Local Democracy Taskforce reforms include the creation of municipal councils and measures to allow councils become more financially independent

Housing, local government, and heritage minister James Browne. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Councillors will no longer be able to "hide" from decisions under new local democracy plans, the housing minister has said.

James Browne was speaking at the launch of the report of the Local Democracy Taskforce, which includes a swathe of proposed reforms, including allowing councils to become more financially independent by introducing tourist taxes and congestion charges.

Reforms include new municipal councils

It will also establish council oversight and governance committees, and see the creation of municipal councils, which will represent all residents within their area, rather than just towns. 

Municipal councils will be required to develop new "town priority programmes" while also ensuring rural areas remain revitalised.

At Wednesday's launch, Mr Browne said that the vast majority of councillors would welcome the new plan for local democracy as most work hard.

“I have faith in local government. What we’re doing here is ensuring that councillors have a greater accountability role, a greater ability to hold officials to account, to be informed and make decisions.

The councillors who will welcome this are the councillors who do a lot of hard work. 

"I think there are some councillors who may not look forward to these changes because they have been able to hide in the miasma of not having to make decisions.

“This will make councillors make decisions for their local communities. Really hardworking councillors will welcome this.”

John Cummins rejects Greens' criticism

Mr Browne's junior ministerial colleague John Cummins rejected criticism of the plan from the Green Party as "a nothing report".

The Waterford TD said the taskforce had worked hard to produce the report and that it aimed to ensure that balance within councils would be with elected councillors and not executives.

"This is about ensuring that our councillors, the ones that go out and knock on the doors, and ones that look for a local mandate, that they are able to be responsive and get answers for their constituents, so that they can represent them to the best of their ability. And for too long, I think there has been that mismatch there."

"We need to move to a position where councillors are the ones that are essentially shaping and making that policy, and the executive are the ones that are implementing that."

Mr Cummins said that the new plans would allow councillors to "hold the executive to account".

• Paul Hosford, Deputy Political Editor