Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also thank Deputy Cassells for putting forward the Bill this morning. I will start on the same point as Senator Boyhan, namely, the Putting People First document on restoring local democracy and restoring power to local councillors. Very significant spin was put on that document and it was never going to achieve its aims. It put in place the local property tax to fund local authorities. That was to be the new model that was going to fund local authorities and restore power to councillors. However, if one considers the local property tax that is collected, local authorities have no control over 20% of it, which goes back to central government. There is then a baseline figure that the Department has set for each local authority and the Government takes control of any surplus above that. No local democracy or accountability was left to local authority members. If they increase local property tax, any additional revenue above the baseline is taken from them. In that regard, nothing was achieved in terms of restoring local democracy.

As regards the abolition of town councils, I come from a different background to that of Deputy Cassells, as I have county council but no town council experience. In the case of County Wicklow, Bray, the second biggest town in the country, had a very good working town council, in particular the housing and planning sections. The merger of the town council with the surrounding area has damaged the delivery of social housing in Bray, is affecting the planning system and is clearly not working. My area, Wicklow east, encompassed Wicklow Town Council. The only place that has suffered from budgetary changes since the change is Wicklow town, not the rural part of the county from which I come. My rural area and others now benefit from the creation of the municipal district that includes the former Wicklow Town Council area. Rural areas are receiving funding that was originally decided upon and spent by the town council. There is a lack of investment in the towns because the funding is being diluted across the whole area. The same situation pertains in Arklow, which has been merged with a huge rural geographical area and the same pot of money is being spent across the entire area. The only area in Wicklow where the new system might be working is Greystones, which is a very tight and confined area and has almost held onto its town council area. It is probably working there but it is not in other areas. To return to Deputy Cassells's point on local democracy and representation, we have to be honest with people and say the abolition of town councils was a mistake and we should look at the representation we have.