QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY OF LOCAL AUTHORITY ELECTED MEMBERS

Background

The Programme for Government affirms the need for our political system to embrace change, share the burden and lead by example and, that our system of Government must modernise, adapt to new financial circumstances and deliver even better services with scarce resources. Consistent with this, the Programme sets out the Government’s broad policy approach in relation to local government, with proposals for reform and strengthening of the local government system. In line with the Programme for Government, Minister Hogan will submit proposals for local government reform to Government for consideration before the Dáil summer recess. These reform proposals will cover the full spectrum of local government from regional, county and sub-county structures to the powers and functions of local authorities, and are designed to strengthen the system, operation and performance of local government.

Questionnaire Survey

Minister Hogan sought the views of elected members on the design of wider local government reforms to be implemented in advance of the 2014 local elections. This involved a short questionnaire survey (14 questions in all) being sent to all 1,627 elected members throughout the country. The series of questions contained therein were adapted from commitments outlined in the Programme for Government. A summary of responses from 350 questionnairesreceived (which represents an overall response rate of 21.5%) is outlined in what follows.

Key results

In the summary of responses under each question, we have identified those issues that arose most frequently in responses, and then other issues that were referred to less frequently but by a still significant number of respondents.

For example, under Question 1, in terms of areas that are considered to be currently working well, one of the main positive items identified in the current system of governanceis the accessibility of democratically elected representatives to citizens at local level.

However the most prevalent issues raised in terms of what is not working well under the present system of governance included:

  • The relative power of unelected officials versus elected councillors
  • The centralisation of power at government/departmental level
  • The weak financial base of local government
  • The lack of coordination with other public service providers locally

Key statistics

  • 74% believe the position of City/County Manager should be changed or replaced with that of Chief Executive
  • 51% believe that there should be provision for a directly elected Cathaoirleach/Mayor at local authority level.
  • 84% believe that the remuneration and expenses for local authority elected members needs to be reformed
  • 63% believe that more needs to be done to encourage more women to stand as candidates in local authority elections
  • 80% believe that local authority elected members should not be precluded from involvement in decisions in relation to the zoning of land.

The following provides a summary of issues arising under each question.

1. What are the main aspects that you consider do work well in the current system of local governance?

By far the most frequent response to this question was the accessibility to citizens provided by democratically elected representatives.Other frequently mentioned aspects include:

  • Strong community involvement and engagement
  • Control of finances and cost-effective delivery of services encourages efficiencies in a challenging financial environment
  • Responding effectively to local issues and concerns
  • Provides leadership and allows people to represent their communities
  • Directly provided services and amenities: house repair grants, water services, waste management and provision of a ‘one stop shop’ for payment of rent, commercial rates, water rates, housing loans and car tax
  • Pre-planning engagement with both the general public and those seeking planning permission
  • Experience and knowledge of the range of services delivered by local authorities
  • Proposing and enacting policies and bye laws on local issues
  • Civic honours and civic identity
  • Effective corporate policy group
  • Effective corporate services
  • Public accountability
  • Tackling social inclusion and integrating new communities
  • Sustainable Development
  • Town Councils give the principle of subsidiarity credence, i.e. local decisions at local level and are the most efficient system of serving local democracy

2.What are the main aspects that you consider do not work well in the current system of local governance?

A number of issues were commonly raised by many respondents in response to this question. The main areas of concern identified were:

  • The relative power of unelected officials versus elected councillors
  • The centralisation of power at government/departmental level
  • The weak financial base of local government
  • The lack of coordination with other public service providers locally

Other notable areas mentioned by several respondents include:

  • The lack of power and functions of town councils
  • The uneven distribution of local authorities with regard to size of population etc.
  • The operation of strategic planning committees
  • The removal of functions from local government
  • ‘Better Local Government’ created more layers of bureaucracy, too many grades and layers of management. Director of Service structure needs to be changed
  • Planning system, where prescribed bodies are not obliged to make an objection on a planning application to the local authority, but can lodge an objection to Bord Pleanala afterwards
  • Too many unelected quangos which control things or must be consulted
  • Payroll costs and trends are difficult to get figures on. As pay and conditions are controlled nationally, this leads local authorities to treat them as a fixed cost.
  • Poor communication and responses from engineers to elected councillors. The reluctance of unelected officials to answer specific questions asked by elected members.
  • Overlapping of County Council areas with Town Council areas, town councillors should not be CountyCouncillors
  • No respect for town councillors at national level
  • Unions very powerful in the County Council structure
  • Not enough emphasis on efficiency

3.Local government structures: what reform and reorganisation is required of local government at regional, city and county and town levels?

There was much less uniformity of response to this question than to questions 1 and 2, so the identification of common themes or issues emerging is not as readily undertaken. However, there are a number of points that emerge that were mentioned by a good number of respondents and which can be highlighted.

Regional level

  • A number of respondents felt that regional authorities should either be empowered or abolished, but that their operation was unsatisfactory at present. Economic development, spatial development and waste management referred to as examples of activities of relevance at the regional level
  • A greater role in the co-ordination and regionalisation of services, such as health and education
  • Alignment of geographic areas with the HSE, Garda Síochána etc
  • Regional matters should be dealt with by MEPs
  • Non members never see the minutes of Regional Authority meetings, there should be reports of same included on the agenda of monthly council meetings. HSE is the only regional structure where councillors have no input in decision making.
  • Funding – without a link between the locality and the budget spend of the local authority, meaningful relationships are hard to establish
  • There is a place for regional government and more power should be given to SERA and BMW regional assemblies to devolve power from centralised government, particularly regional issues that cannot be addressed by county councils
  • Regional authorities act as a conduit between central and local government bodies
  • The concept of subsidiarity should form the basis for all local government

City and County level

  • Re-balance the power between democratically elected members and officials in favour of the former.Enhanced right to hold the executive accountable
  • Greater power over revenue collection
  • Amalgamation of smaller councils
  • One council is sufficient at county level
  • Absorb Town councils into County Councils
  • Take on the local development role
  • More shared services between councils
  • Reconsider the director of services system
  • Fewer Councillors but make them full time with proper administrative resources
  • Directly elected Mayor with executive functions
  • More public profile for each division
  • Ring fencing VAT is a possibility
  • Councillors for population pro-rata

c) SubCounty Level

  • Strong municipal local government common throughout Europe. Municipal/Town local government level ensures that Ireland complies with the principle of subsidiarity set out in the EU Charter for Local Self Government.
  • Strengthen the area committee structures
  • Ensure urban electoral areas and administrative areas coincide
  • District areas should be as per electoral area
  • Conduct a review of area offices
  • Restoration of functions removed in recent years such as sanitary, refuse
  • Non-rating town councils should have the same powers and functions as rating town councils
  • County management should accept level of uniqueness & independence of Town Councils, including efforts at ensuring adoption at town level of County Development Plan, zonings, rate levies and County management should support devolution of power and authority to Town Council
  • Independent arbitration system put in place to settle funding disputes between Town Councils and County Councils arising from budget decisions
  • Recruitment embargoes should be a decision for the local authority and not government or department
  • Abolish all Town Councils and create Community Councils with local elected members, but no remuneration or budgetary powers. They would act as an advisory body to area Councillors
  • Abolish Town Councils in areas with small populations, as too many town councils
  • A uniform system to replace Borough, Town Council (rating) and Town council (non rating). Town Councils retained but subsumed into District Councils.
  • Town Councils should have powers to decide zoning but otherwise should have most administrative functions centralised in the County.

4. Local Government Functions: What additional functions do you consider should be devolved to governance at regional level, city and county level and sub county level?

(a)Regional level:

The main suggestions for additional functions to be devolved to a regional level include:

  • Job creation policies
  • Tourism
  • Economic development
  • Regional planning and the development of spatial strategy
  • NRA and roads budget
  • Education
  • Energy Procurement/ Power supply
  • Waster Management
  • Planning consistency e.g. flood plains
  • Powers similar to those allocated under the Planning & Development Act 2010
  • Wind atlas
  • Broadband

In contrast, a number of respondents felt that this regional level should be abolished as it adds another level of bureaucracy with more cost and is viewed as ‘a talking shop.’

(b)City and County level:

A number of respondents outlined that the ambit of local government should be to retain maintenance and deployment of local roads, provision of housing and economic development.

A number of additional functions which were commonly raised that could be devolved to city and county level include:

  • Return all housing functions to Council from HSE.
  • Local Policing- strengthen the role of the JPCs and the LPFs.
  • Health Service, by having a health care service provided at a local level
  • Elderly and social care provisions
  • Economic and local development, emphasis on small and community enterprise developments
  • Tourism, Heritage, Conservation
  • Education/Schools, To ensure that the functions of the envisaged education boards are under the remit of a strategic policy committee
  • Maintenance of school buildings
  • Planningdecisions must be accountable to the public and those communities that are most affected by the decisions. Councillors in their role as public reps are accountable and should have a more active and central role in planning.
  • Water provision and waste management. Coordination is required to ensure best practice, oversee strategic planning and capital spending. To privatise or centralise those services is counter productive.
  • Loans for first time buyers (lending directly)
  • Power to decide house charges
  • Property Tax
  • Transport
  • Sports and Recreational Funding Services
  • Building inspection to community policing
  • Overseeing provision of utilities
  • FAS/Solas

(c) SubCounty level:

A number of additional functions highlighted for devolvement to town council level include:

  • Education and maintenance of school buildings,
  • Local development, and proper input into County and Regional planning and powers
  • Tourism and heritage, to enable towns to develop marketing plan for their own area/community plan
  • Care for the community: i.e. social care and elderly care systems, homeless, less well off, disability advocates.
  • Community employment schemes
  • Transport and Roads back from NRA. End system whereby CoCo or NRA are responsible for certain roads and footpaths
  • SMEs support and guidance, industry development and Business development initiatives, build strong working relationship with SMEs and Chambers of Commerce to try and facilitate the infrastructure and environment for business
  • JPCs
  • Local planning
  • Grant aiding to rejuvenate specific designated areas of towns and to rejuvenate listed buildings and protected structures

5. It is envisaged that local authority elected members should be given authority to seek reports from, and question in public, all providers of public services (including private sector providers who have a public service remit) on the delivery of services in their area. In this regard, what specific service providers do you consider should report to local authorities?

The main service providers that should report to local authorities and were listed most frequently, as follows:

  • Tourism bodies
  • Employment, Taskforce on Employment, restart Community Employment schemes
  • Education/Regional Education Boards (VECs) and training
  • Unemployment services, training for unemployed people to meet local needs
  • Housing
  • Industrial Promotion and development (IDA), small industry, SME sector,
  • Local development
  • HSE
  • Local policing
  • JPCs should be given teeth
  • Private companies and utility companies including Bord Gais, Eircom, ESB, Telephone/internet/cable suppliers that have a public service dimension
  • Garda Authority viz policy matters
  • National Transport Authority
  • NRA
  • Water authority
  • Fisheries
  • Coillte,
  • National Parks & Wildlife
  • Departments of Social Protection, Agriculture, Transport
  • An Bord Pleanala
  • Public & Private Transport Providers i.e. Bus Eireann, Iarnroid Eireann, Airport Authorities, Ferry Operators
  • Refuse Collection Services
  • Waterways Ireland
  • Community Development
  • Financial institutions
  • Procurement Office & tendering
  • An Taisce
  • Insurers
  • All bodies should foster a climate of cooperation between local authorities e.g. Tourism, Industry, JPCs, Education, Training, SMEs
  • All Government Departments that interact or are relevant to local authorities

6. Do you believe that the position of City / County Manager should be changed and replaced with that of Chief Executive, with a limited range of executive functions, primarily to facilitate the implementation of democratically decided policy?

YES74%

NO15%

Blank 11%

Total: 350 (100%)

74% of respondents felt that the position of City/County Manager should be changed and replaced with that of Chief Executive (with a limited range of executive functions) to facilitate the implementation of democratically decided policy. The main reason most frequently outlined for this change was that the relationship between elected members and the executive needs to be rebalanced with members having greater powers of oversight and in terms of further developing the elected members policy-making role. Unelected officials were seen as having too much power and more power should be given to elected members where accountability is guaranteed.

Respondents (15%) who did not agree to change the position of CountyManager to that of Chief Executive most frequently noted that the Chief Executive will also be unelected and usually there to manage staff, so it would be difficult to see how a CEO would work differently with Local Elected Councillors on local issues. A number of respondents also said this is too complex a question to answer in this format and would be appropriately addressed at some national or regional forum or working group.

7. Local Authority Governance: What specific measures should be taken to enhance the position of local authority elected members relative to the executive in order to facilitatepolicy development and democratic oversight?

Policy development

By far the most common response to this question was the need for enhanced knowledge and skills for councillors through training, development and education. In addition, other responses that gathered some degree of support include:

  • An enhanced role for Corporate Policy Groups and the Strategic Policy Committees so that elected members are involved in the early stages of drafting new policies. Making all corporate policy minutes available to all members
  • A small number of respondents suggested that making members full-time would enhance their capability to engage with policy issues
  • Elected representatives must always be afforded the opportunity to draft, develop or amend policy.
  • Engage outside assistance, legal or otherwise, thus enhancing the democratic oversight of policy implementation by the unelected officials.
  • Councillors should be responsible for all aspects of policy
  • Clear partnership between elected members and the executive
  • More consultation at planning stage
  • At the outset of each Council’s term they should have to advance a specified local authority programme for the relevant years of the council’s existence.
  • Decisions must be communicated in a timely and accessible fashion.
  • Adequate time must be allocated to allow for full debate.

Democratic oversight

The most frequent response here, as with policy development, was the provision of training and education opportunities to enhance members’ ability to oversee and ensure implementation of policies. Other topics mentioned by a number of respondents include:

  • The need for explicit power of oversight to be specified in local government law
  • Linked to the bullet point above, greater power to hold the executive to account
  • Greater access to technical, legal and financial advice
  • Complete information and transparency on all financial matters.
  • Elected members should sign off on all council staffing and expenditure over a certain limit.
  • Councillors should be able to call staff in for probing over certain projects
  • Detailed accounts on expenditure on a bi-monthly basis
  • Appointment of Local Authority Public Account Committees

8. Local Government Accountability: What specific measures should be taken to enhance the responsibility and accountability of local authority elected members?