Mr. Adrian Henchy:

As mayor of Fingal, I welcome this opportunity to present a statement to the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on the future of local democracy. It is fitting that you are considering this topic given that it is 125 years since the first councils were held following the introduction of the 1898 Local Government Act which established county and urban councils across Ireland. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Fingal County Council following the reform of local government in Dublin. One reason for increasing the number of local authorities in Dublin from two to four in 1994 was because Dublin County Council, in particular, had become too unwieldly.

There is no doubt that what we have achieved over the past 30 years in Fingal would not have happened if we were still part of Dublin County Council. Having our own local authority, with the ability to make decisions that are relevant to our own local communities, has been a success. Fingal is now the third-biggest local authority in Ireland, offering 924 different services to a population of 330,000 people. Over the past 30 years, we have seen our annual budget increase sixfold from €48.8 million in 1994 to €362 million in 2024 while our current three-year capital programme consists of 312 projects worth €1.35 billion. Many of these are currently on site.

However, it could be a lot better. A recent Council of Europe report pointed out that Ireland is a highly centralised country despite its small size, with fewer powers and resources devolved to local government than most European countries. In addition, research by academics has identified the severe, chronic weakness of local government in Ireland and suggested that Ireland ranks above only Moldova and Russia in relation to overcentralisation of power. I believe there is, among the general population, considerable support for giving greater powers and functions to local government. The current level of control exercised by different Departments over local government in Ireland is excessive and leads to unnecessary delays in drawing down funding and getting approval for resources and projects.

Fingal County Council looks after an area of 456 km2 which is well below the national average of 2,2000 km2 but our population of 330,000 is the third largest in the country. That means that our 40 councillors each represent 8,300 people, a figure that is well above the national average of 5,400 which is the highest among members of the Council of Europe.

That needs to change. It highlights the pressure placed on part-time councillors to represent the communities that elected them. I agree with the recommendation from the recent Dublin Citizens' Assembly, which considered the question of a directly elected mayor for Dublin, that councillors should be paid full-time representatives with secretarial support. The present situation where many councillors are trying to hold down full-time jobs while fulfilling a public representative role is unsustainable and is limiting the number of people who are willing to put themselves forward for election. Since the last local elections in 2019, we have lost several young councillors on Fingal County Council because they were struggling to find the time to properly represent their constituents. At a time when we are trying to broaden the base and the backgrounds of those entering politics, we need to be making it easier for people to commit on a full-time basis to the role of public representative. Making councillors full-time and giving them more power to make decisions at a local level would also free up more time for Members of the Oireachtas to concentrate on national policy issues.

I circulated my submission to my fellow councillors in Fingal County Council for observations in advance of today. This is included in an appendix to my report. I thank the committee for the opportunity to present here this morning.