Dublin gives more than it gets

YES, Matt Cooper (July 20) is spot-on. Dublin, of course, gets everything. It gets Government offices that contribute no commercial rates at a cost of more than €27 million to Dublin City Council last year alone.

It gets a benchmarking directive costing the council more than €76m. It gets a shortfall in promised subsidy for domestic rates of over €110m, again for last year alone.

In fact, Dublin city is so fortunate that last year it contributed more to Government coffers, through motor tax income, PAYE and PRSI than the city council received from the local government fund.

Yes, of course, Dublin gets everything. With one-third of the population, Dublin matters so much to the publicly financed broadcaster that it finally got a single RTÉ Dublin correspondent three years ago — about 30 years after other parts of the country.

Dublin, too, is fortunate because, unlike other areas, it gets the Government to organise its annual St Patrick’s Festival.

It doesn’t seem to matter that we would be more than capable of doing it ourselves — but Government knows best.

Dublin, of course, also benefits from the large number of pilot schemes introduced by Government around the country — eventually.

For Government is so concerned about Dublin that it regularly introduces these pilot initiatives and the allocation of accompanying funding to areas outside the capital.

The only interpretation surely is that Dublin can only benefit after the final evaluation of such pilot schemes. What consideration! In the meantime, Dublin can simply do without.

So, yes, Dublin is different and, yes, Dublin should be planned differently and governed differently.

Dublin needs a regional assembly with a directly elected mayor who would lead and stand up for the city and county.

The assembly would have the sort of strategic planning authority so accurately called for by Matt Cooper.

From an informed and committed position it would lead the debate on issues and make decisions, as appropriate, on high-rise developments.

It would lead the debate and make decisions on issues such as the possible relocation of parts of Dublin port. It would have real authority over the imposed chaos that is Dublin transport and traffic policy.

However, it would do so with a starting position of commitment to Dublin and the future of our city and county. It would not be beholden to, or answerable to the Custom House, the Department of Transport or the Department of Finance, all of which have so badly let down our county.

So I wholeheartedly agree with Matt Cooper. Dublin is different.

The debate initiated last week by ELM Architects and the Irish Examiner is most welcome. Government decisions in the same direction would be even more so.

Cllr Dermot Lacey

66 Beech Hill Drive

Donnybrook

Dublin 4