Seanad Public Consultation Committee holds second public hearing on the Future of Local Democracy with former Ministers and Ministers of State for Local Government and Members of Local Authorities

In the morning session, the Committee will engage with four former Ministers and Ministers of State with responsibility for local government to hear their reflections from their tenures in office, and to explore their thoughts and suggestions on the future of local government in Ireland.

In the afternoon session, the Committee will engage with Cathaoirligh of local authorities, and individual councillors who made submissions to the Committee, focusing on local authorities in the south of Ireland. This is the second engagement the Committee will have with councillors on this topic, where it will focus on the south of the country, and hear local authority members’ views on local government in Ireland, explore their suggestions and identify recommendations.

Ahead of the meeting, the Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Seanad, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Committee, Senator Mark Daly said:

“On behalf of the Committee, I once again wish to acknowledge and express our thanks to all who made a submission and engaged on this very important topic. This week, we are continuing the public hearing stage of this consultation, where we will once again explore the various challenges that local government faces and explore how policy and legislation may respond to these challenges.”

The Rapporteur for the consultation, Senator Shane Cassells added:

“The first public hearing provided us, as a committee, the opportunity to tease out many of the ideas and suggestions proposed by representative bodies and local authority members. We look forward to continuing this discussion today, where we will engage with four former Ministers, whose reflections and insight will be very useful to the Committee as it develops potential solutions to enhancing local government in Ireland.”

The Committee expects to continue public hearings over the coming months, with the aim of compiling recommendations, which it will publish in a report in due course.

These hearings represent the current stage of the Committee’s process, following the public notice calling for submissions that was published in July 2023.