Mr. John O'Donoghue:

A Chathaoirligh, a Sheanadóirí, a comhairleoirí agus a dhaoine uaisle, as a relative newcomer to the political system I have been surprised in many instances by the mechanics of governance, in particular with its centralised bureaucratic nature. It is frustrating that local authorities are micromanaged to the extent that we are. Almost every decision requires approval at national level, particularly in relation to receiving funding for projects. This ensures huge delays and the costs involved invariably rise drastically by the time the project is approved. This lack of resources for the council to use at its own discretion seriously inhibits the ability of a local authority to function in a truly democratic manner.

The Oxford dictionary defines democracy as control of an organisational group by the majority of its members. The decision, in 2014, to abolish town councils under local government reforms was a blatant contradiction of this notion where responsibility was removed from the hands of the many and placed in the hands of the few. I am aware of the recent report by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, which found that the current situation of local governance in Ireland is in direct contravention of the principle of subsidiarity, which states that public responsibilities should be managed by those closest to the citizens. This centralised model forces people towards national bodies to solve local issues and that is an abhorrence.

Ireland is an outlier within the EU with its local authorities having less autonomy over their own affairs than those in almost any other EU country. We have less public representatives per capita which reduces the likelihood of all sectors of society being represented. If we are to strive toward a truly democratic ideal, this must be rectified as the current system is too restrictive with many of its members being of the same demographic. Increasing the number of councillors would encourage a more diverse range of candidate.

In the very essence of democracy, handing local authorities control of their own destiny would create a greater level of accountability. Serious problems arise where people are able to hide behind layers of bureaucracy in a system where nobody appears culpable for anything.

Many of the difficulties this country finds itself facing are due to mismanagement on a macro level. Too often we also hear of council executives exercising their executive function to overrule councillors, who are the ones who have been elected by the people to govern in their stead. Putting such power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats is symptomatic of current policy in this country where everything is centralised. Prior to the abolition of town councils, my local town of Killarney was a shining example of resources raised locally being used in a manner in which those contributing to the payment of rates and the election of local officials expected. Resources have now been stripped away, with local authorities being deliberately reduced to the status of beggars who are expected to express deep gratitude for the crumbs from their master's table. When the cupboard is vindictively stripped bare, it is hardly right to castigate the homeowner for not providing a proper meal.

As regards the time constraints and stresses placed on family life, being a county councillor is a full-time job and more often than not one which is done in conjunction with other full-time employment. It is truly an honour to serve as a public representative, but you would certainly require a very understanding partner at home.

I would welcome increased dialogue between councillors in the Republic of Ireland and councillors in Northern Ireland. The question of a united Ireland is one which will probably be put before us during my lifetime. Increased co-operation between both jurisdictions would ensure increased empathy in future dialogues regarding what changes this would bring to local government.

I will conclude with a quote from the American journalist, Sydney J. Harris, who said:

Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.

We here in Ireland seem insistent on removing this most basic of rights from the majority of its citizens as decision-making at local authority level is slowly eroded.

I thank the committee members most sincerely for their time. My thoughts are my own, but I know from listening to what has been said that they are echoed by my colleagues throughout the land.