Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would say to the witnesses, and to the Secretaries General of all Departments, that local authority in any other democracy means that those who are elected. With regard to the dealings what is happening is frightening, even since I came off the local authority nearly 13 years ago. Funding comes from various Government Departments about which councillors know nothing and are completely in the dark. The decision is made on where it is to be spent. It could be spent on the pet projects of senior staff in various counties and councillors have no say in it whatsoever. Member of the public stop councillors and ask, "Why is that happening?", but the councillors have no answer. Deputies also have no answers even though we are supposed to be briefed in the same way as councillors on spending and in our interactions with the management of the councils. It is awful. We must have the worst system or the most distanced power system of local government on the planet. I am aware that some of it is policy, but I can understand from the senior officials' point of view that it would materialise like this: obviously it is nice for the County and City Management Association.