Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2016
384. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to increase the number of county councillors in local authorities which have less than 20 councillors; if it is sufficient for Sligo County Council to have only 18 councillors, given their much larger workload following the reforms in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9674/16]
View answer385. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider the re-establishment of borough councils such as the one abolished in County Sligo in 2014, which abolition has had a drastic effect on the effective running of services in Sligo town, due to services now being overseen by a local authority which is under-funded and which does not have enough staff to conduct works and services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9675/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 385 together.
The number of members in each local authority area and the configuration of local electoral areas are matters that are appropriate to a review of local electoral areas. The most recent review of local electoral areas was carried out from November 2012 to May 2013 by a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee established under the Local Government Act 1991. There is no constitutional or legislative requirement for the revision of local electoral areas. I am not in a position to indicate, at this stage, when a review of local electoral areas might next be undertaken.
The Government’s decision to replace town authorities with a new model of municipal governance was designed to strengthen local government within counties and to address widely acknowledged and long-standing weaknesses and anomalies in the previous system, including divided administration between town and county authorities, for example, in relation to matters such as planning, rating and charges.
Municipal districts and borough districts, where they arise, now cover the entire territory of each county, reflecting European norms, removing outdated boundaries and ending the anomaly of small towns having municipal status and dual representation, while some larger centres and rural areas lacked any sub-county governance. As well as creating a more rational and comprehensive structural arrangement, the new system will over time result in more effective and community-focused decision making and implementation. Moreover, under the new arrangements, there is full integration of local authority resources across each county and elimination of duplication both in administrative and electoral terms. In 2015, after one full year of the operation of municipal districts, a broadly based Advisory Group was convened to carry out a review of their operation, in conjunction with a Local Government Forum for engagement with the Association of Irish Local Government. Feedback from these deliberations and from surveys of local authority members and chief executives suggests that the revised structures are generally operating well but will need more time to bed down fully.
The Programme for a Partnership Government includes the preparation of a report for Government and the Oireachtas by mid-2017 on potential measures to boost local government leadership and accountability and to ensure that local government funding, structures and responsibilities strengthen local democracy.
