Local Government in Ireland: Underresourced and undervalued

Councillors here have fewer powers than in almost every other European country and limited revenue-raising and spending powers, writes Senator Malcolm Byrne

Tue, 15 Aug, 2023 - 19:00

Malcolm Byrne

With the number of TDs now set to rise at the next election from 160 to at least 172 and possibly as many as 181, and predictions that if our population growth continues we will need an extra two TDs per year based on current Constitutional requirements, there are calls to consider amending the Constitution to have a fixed number of deputies.

Countries such as Denmark (179 seats), Finland (200), and Slovakia (150) are similar in population size to Ireland with fixed seat numbers, although all these examples are unicameral parliaments (they only have one legislative chamber, unlike here where we have the Dáil and the Seanad).

There is a critical difference though: in each of these countries, local government is more powerful and better resourced than here and there are far more local councillors.

Ireland has one of the most centralised systems of government of any democracy. Councillors here have fewer powers than in almost every other European country and limited revenue-raising and spending powers. We are also underrepresented compared to other nations.

With under a year until the local elections, those who plan to put their names on those ballot papers can rightly ask as to whether they can really influence what is happening in their communities.

Erosion of power

The continual erosion of the powers of local councils and councillors has stripped city and county authorities back to simply being agents of local administration.

Senator Malcolm Byrne: 'Our councillors and local authority staff do tremendous work on the ground. They can be more effective by giving them real responsibilities and supports to make decisions closest to the communities where they are based.' Picture: PA

Responsibilities in health, housing, water services and planning have been centralised or passed over to quangos such as Uisce Éireann and the Office of the Planning Regulator.

This has had the consequence of more time being taken up at national level by government departments and agencies, as well as by national legislators, on issues that could be more effectively addressed in a stronger local government system, as happens in most other countries.

Look at the number of parliamentary questions and debates in Leinster House about issues that should be addressed in local council chambers. National legislators know that to be re-elected there must be a focus on local action.

We have fewer councillors per capita than any other EU country and other democracies examined. There are 949 elected councillors in Ireland for a population of 5.2 million.

Compare that to similar if slightly larger European countries. Denmark, with a population of 5.9 million has 2,432, while Finland, with a population of 5.6 million, has 8,859 councillors.

We have one councillor for about every 5,400 people in Ireland. That is a very high ratio when compared with every other country in Europe: for example, Northern Ireland (1:4,119); Denmark (1:2,399); Finland (1:627) and France (1:257).

Across all levels of local and regional government, Slovakia, with a similar population, has 20,646 locally elected representatives, or one for every 265 people.

We need to consider whether we have enough councillors around the country given the increasing demands on their time. Should we introduce a ratio of councillors to the general population, as happens for elections to the Dáil, and as happens in other jurisdictions?

Greater clarity

Should such a requirement be part of an overall package of Constitutional reforms that will fix the number of Dáil seats and provide greater clarity on the distinct roles of local and national government.

We need to look at how we can devolve more powers to local authorities in areas such as education, policing and transport. The continued centralisation of powers by the Custom House (our Department of Local Government) needs to be checked and the principle of subsidiarity should underpin government decision-making.

While some centralised decision-making always makes sense in the provision of certain services, the move away from local government has led to poor levels of accountability on the parts of agencies established to make those decisions.

There is a significant opportunity with the election of a directly elected mayor for Limerick to radically reshape how local government operates.

However, it is essential the office has real powers and resources to make a difference. Over four years after the people of Limerick have voted for this office, we are only now beginning to see proposals on how this office will work.

We need to encourage more people from a diverse range of backgrounds to run for local office. It is an enormous privilege to serve our communities.

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Our councillors and local authority staff do tremendous work on the ground. They can be more effective by giving them real responsibilities and supports to make decisions closest to the communities where they are based.

Political parties are finding it more difficult to find candidates to contest next June’s local elections. It is a tough job being a councillor. But if we ensured greater powers and real local democracy, it can become a more attractive role.