Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Lemass for the presentation this morning. The survey that was carried out indicated 500 councillors replied in a positive manner on the municipal districts.

We are certainly not getting that vibe in any shape, manner or means.

As I come from a rural area, I have never served on a town council. Before I came here I served on Wicklow County Council for two and a half years and participated in two budgetary processes. In that time I could clearly see that rural areas had benefited at the cost of towns which suffered significantly as a result of the process. The deputation referred to efficiencies, effectiveness and improved governance. There is, however, no point in achieving efficiencies if they result in the loss of services. There has been the loss of services in town council areas. At the municipal district budget meeting we divvied up the discretionary fund of several thousand euro and there was a significant loss to towns. A number of services were lost and completely forgotten about. In Wicklow town there was no waste bin service on a Saturday and a Sunday, although such a service had always been included. Local representatives keep these small items at the top of the agenda. Only two of the original town councillors now serve on the municipal district council which has six members and the focus has been removed completely from the town to rural areas. Most of the funding year in, year out is now going to rural areas at the expense of town councils. I honestly believe the system is not working. Bray is the second biggest town in the country, yet there are no social housing projects at stage three, four, five or six. If the municipal district system had not been put in place in 2014, I can guarantee that the housing section in Bray Town Council would have had projects before us today. I come from a rural area that is getting the benefits from the municipal district council, but it is at the cost of town councils. The national planning framework puts the emphasis on the building up of towns, yet we are reducing local democracy in towns and potentially reducing investment in their core areas.

I understand some of the points made by the deputation about finance and funding. We had a debate on commercial rates. Earlier this morning we had a debate on the proper funding of local authorities, an issue which has to be addressed. The local property tax has failed in what it was meant to do, that is, to restore local democracy. The Government controls the top 20%. We have had an argument about the baseline which has not been reviewed in over seven years. The Government controls anything earned above it. That brings us back to the fundamental issue - the funding of local authorities.