Hogan pledges to drag local government into the 21st century

WHILE the finer details of the local government reforms will not be outlined until the autumn, Environment Minister Phil Hogan gave his strongest indication yet that the Government will cut the number of councillors and local authorities.

Mr Hogan said on Wednesday he was mandated by a “reforming Government to drag the system of local government into the 21st century” so that it delivered more to the community and put people first and it “is extremely likely” that a reduction in the number of county councillors and city and town councils would be part of that reform.

 

“It will introduce significant changes to regional, county, city and town governance,” he said.
Mr Hogan said that, where possible, public services should be delivered through locally based bodies rather than centralised agencies. “I’m updating those structures to increase efficiency and give more value for money for the people they serve,” he said. “It’s extremely likely that I will be cutting the number of councillors and the number of authorities.”

The end result could be that county councillors in West, North and East Clare could be forced to travel long distances to represent people in their constituency after the 2014 Local Elections.
It is believed new councillors may have to represent up to 5,000 people, which could see the number of councillors in Clare, which has the second highest number in the country at 32, dropping to 26 or even 24. With up to 60% of people living in about one-fifth of the land mass in the county in centres like Ennis, Quin, Tulla, Shannon, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge, it is expected the political landscape will be dramatically changed. If the figure is 26, this would mean about 14 councillors would represent the largest centres of population with the remaining 12 councillors representing West, North and East Clare. New candidates would also face the daunting prospect of having to secure up to 2,500 votes to secure a council seat, up from about 1,500 or 1,700 depending on the electoral area.

It is also possible that the four town councils in Kilrush, Kilkee, Shannon and Ennis are in jeopardy.

According to a well-placed source, the town councils will be replaced by a new municipal district comprising county councillors in a particular area. This would effectively mean county councillors in Shannon and Ennis would also have jurisdiction over issues in Shannon and Ennis Town, which are currently served by town councillors. It is expected Kilkee and Kilrush Town Councils will be abolished and be replaced by a new Kilrush Municipal District of councillors who will be responsible for both towns and their surrounding areas.

If the town councils are abolished, it is expected that all commercial rates will be set by Clare County Council, while Municipal Districts may be given some discretion to spend an allocation approved by the county council. It is also being mooted that county managers could become chief executive officers with the sting in the tail that they no longer have the same powers compared with the current arrangement.

The moves are likely to cause outrage among sitting councillors. Speaking to The Clare Champion following her election as Mayor of Kilkee, Councillor Claire Haugh was angry that the 111-year old town council may cease to exist in 2014 if local government reforms result in small town councils being abolished.

“One hundred and eleven years later, Phil Hogan has decided enough is enough. ‘Lads off ye go, the curtain is going to fall and that’s it’. I’m very peeved off about all of that,” the town mayor said.

Mayor Haugh believes Kilkee will be a poorer place if the town council is disbanded. “Some of the smaller councils will not survive. That’s my understanding. I think it’s a shame because the town council is a voice for smaller towns. We’re the voice of the people of Kilkee as far as I’m concerned. We bring the concerns of the town to the county council’s attention, to TDs or to county councillors. We’re at the coalface of politics in the town.