La Touche Legacy Seminar

1. La Touche Legacy Seminar Local Democracy A Vision for the Future. Terry O Niadh.

2. Democracy • A form of Government in which the supreme power is vested in the people collectively and is administered by them or by officers appointed by them. • Government of the people, by the people, for the people .

3. The Case for Local Government Jones and Stewart “ the greatest strength of local government should be that it promotes efficiency by promoting services and a mix of services that better fit local conditions and circumstances than can ever be achieved by more distant decision makers”

4. European Charter of Local Self Government- Article 3 Local self government denotes the right and ability of local authorities, within the limits of the law, to regulate and manage a substantial share of public offices under their own responsibility and in the interests of the local population.

5. Local Authorities • What they are • What they should be • What they do • What they should do

6. Local Authorities • Facilitators of local democracy and community development • Service providers • Law makers • Regulators and implementers of national policy & legislation

7. Part 9-Local Government Act, 2001 Role of a Local Authority is: • To provide a forum for the democratic representation of the local community & to provide civic leadership. • To carry out functions conferred on the authority by this or any enactment • To carry out ancillary functions • To take action to promote the community interest

8. Other elements of Local Government • Accords with the principle of subsidiarity • Allows local people to decide on their priorities, the level of taxation and the level of services • Local Authorities are the only directly elected body outside of Dail Eireann which gives them a very strong political mandate .

9. Limitations/ Challenges • Functions • Form (Structure) • Finance

10. Functions • Range of functions is quite limited • The system is not the focus of local attention it should be • LAs in other EU countries deal with broader range of services including Health, Social Welfare, Tourism, Policing, Courts and Justice, Education, Electricity • Irish LAs account for 11 to 15% of typical Danish Local Authorities expenditure • New local bodies set up to undertake functions which are performed by LAs in other EU Countries (Leader Companies, County Enterprise Boards).

11. Form/ Structure • Relatively small number of LAs compared other EU Countries • Relatively small number of Councillors • Imbalance at Town Council level- Templemore V Roscrea/ Greystones v Wicklow Town & Arklow • Imbalance at County Council level- Leitrim v Cork • Need for revision of boundaries in many major towns and cities • Regional Authorities have very limited role

12. Finance • Amount of funding available is inadequate to meet escalating costs of many services e.g. Water Services, Environmental Protection, Waste Management, Energy • Local sources of funding very limited. Most EU LAs raise more of their own revenues locally • Existing local funding sources under pressure due to economic recession • Large percentage of revenue is derived from specific Government grants • LAs have no discretion over vast elements of public expenditure at local level • LAs have little fiscal autonomy (OECD) which acts as a barrier to improved performance and re-enforces a culture of compliance

13. Schedule of Previous Proposals for Local Government Reform • 1971 – White Paper on Local Government Re-organisation. • 1971 – Strengthening the Local Government Services- The McKinsey Report. • 1972 – White Paper on Local Finance and Taxation. • 1973 – Local Government Re-organisation – Discussion Document. • 1977 – Abolition of Domestic Rates (Government decision). • 1983 – Termination of Agricultural Rates (Supreme Court Decision). • 1985 – The Reform of Local Government – A Policy Statement. • 1985 – NESC Report. • 1985 – Commission on Taxation Reports. • 1991 – Local Government Re-organisation and Reform 1991 – The Barrington Report. • 1994 – A Government of Renewal. • 1996 – Toward Cohesive Local Government – Town and County.

14. Schedule of Previous Proposals for Local Government Reform • 1996 – Study on Local Government Finance (KPMG). • 1996 – Interim Report of the Devolution Commission. • 1996 – Better Local Government: A Program for Change. • 1997 – Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act. • 1997 – Second Report of the Devolution Commission. • 1997 – Guidelines for the establishment and operation of Strategic Policy Committees. • 1998 – Task Force Report on the Integration of Local Government and Local Development. • 1999 – Preparing the Ground: Guidelines for the Progression from County Strategy Groups to County/City Development Boards (Second Task Force Report). • 2000 – A Shared Vision for County/City Development Boards (Third Task Force Report).

15. Schedule of Previous Proposals for Local Government Reform • 2001 – Local Government Act, 2001. • Modernising Government – The Challenges for Local Government • 2004 – Delivering Value for People Service Indicators in Local Authorities. • 2008 – Green Paper – Stronger Local Democracy. • 2008 – OECD Review of the Public Service. • 2008 – Transforming Public Services: Citizen Centred Performance Focus. • 2009 - Commission on Taxation Report. • 2009 – Local Government (Charges) Act 2009. • 2010 – Local Government Efficiency Review Group Report. • 2011-Programme for Government 2011/16

16. Programme for Government 2011/16 Local Government Reform • Will devolve many of the functions currently being performed by agencies back to local government • Ensure that all property-related revenues are part of the income stream of local government. • Abolish the position of County Manager and replace it with that of Chief Executive, whose primary function will be to facilitate the implementation of democratically decided policy. • A democratically-decided Regional or City Plan will replace the present top-down Strategic Planning Guideline model. • Will give councillors a legal power to seek reports from, and question in public, all providers of public services in their area.

17. Programme for Government 2011/16Local Government Reform • Will also empower them to question private sector service providers such as internet and digital TV providers, local banks or private schools, on their public service remit. • The Local Government Director of Audit will be required to publish an annual report covering all his functions to the Oireachtas Committee on Environment. The Report will assist in determining where local government can produce greater efficiencies. • Will examine what services could be converged between two or more local authorities, such as technology support, human resources and fire services. .

18. Programme for Government 2011/16Local Government Reform • Will introduce a single national building inspectorate service • Local authorities that deliver efficiencies, either alone or through sharing services, over and above what is required will be allowed re-invest a proportion of those savings in local initiatives. • We are committed to a fundamental reorganisation of local governance structures to allow for devolution of much greater decision-making to local people. We will give local communities more control over transport and traffic, economic development, educational infrastructure, and local responses to crime and local healthcare needs.

19. Programme for Government 2011/16Local Government Reform • In local services, we will establish a website to assist residents in reporting problems with street lighting, drainage, graffiti, waste collection and road and path maintenance in their neighbourhoods, with a guarantee that local officials will respond within two working days. • We will merge local enterprise and job support functions of local, regional and national agencies into a single business and enterprise unit within Local Authorities. This will allow streamlining of local job creation and support functions, increased shared knowledge capability and resources while saving on administration costs.

20. Recommendations-Functions • Central controls on Local Authorities should be significantly relaxed • Substantial devolution of functions commensurate with the principle of subsidiarity (Service level agreements could be used) • All public services should be delivered at County level or Groups of Counties to ensure greater coherence and consistency across the entire public services at local level (TPS :2008) • An executive group should be set up to co-ordinate public services at local level. The activities should be monitored by local County Councillors. • Water services should be delivered (or controlled) by a national agency (An Bord Snip)

21. Recommendations-Form Structure • Dissolve all Town Councils and hand their functions over to County Councils (WP 1971) • Delegate functions to County Council Area Committees • Area Committees should consist of elected area councillors & social/community pillar representatives • Reduce number of County /City Councils • Synchronise the regions and expand the functions of the Regional Authorities • Integrate the Local Government and Local Development Systems

22. Recommendations- Finance • Charge the economic cost for local authority services • Introduce a local property tax • Recoup the full cost of providing national public services to Local Authorities

23. Conclusion • Sin e • Go raibh mhaith agaibh

24. La Touche Legacy Seminar Local Democracy A Vision for the Future. Terry O Niadh.