Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for coming to share their perspectives today. I have enjoyed and valued this opportunity to examine the state of our local democracy, and to hear from councillors across the island. Time and again we have heard from talented and committed people, who care so much about their communities. They are passionate but hamstrung in their efforts by flaws in the system. It is amazing to see how many passionate people there are. However, as we have heard a lot this morning, it is disheartening that they face such an uphill battle to be heard. These sessions have taken place alongside the latest local elections. This is underscored by the importance of this issue and the huge stakes it has for local communities. Parties and candidates who participate in these elections are hoping to change minds and make positive change. We saw a disturbingly low turnout in the last elections, which is maybe because people are more apathetic to local politics because the councils have been stripped of many of their powers and ability to provide public services.

I have a couple of questions. Some have said this already, but I also think it is time to give councils who want to re-municipalise services like waste collection the legal power to do that. Senator Higgins mentioned the idea of local property tax reform and the introduction of tourist tax. She did not have much time to elaborate on that, and I hope she might. Will she expand a little on the ways councils could review this in a progressive way? I also highlight the Planning and Development Bill, which will be debated in this Chamber today. It includes several measures that further undermine the power of councillors. It is strange to be discussing the empowerment of our local democracy in the morning when this Chamber will likely vote to undermine it in the afternoon, which Senator Boyhan often mentions. What can we do? Some have touched on it this morning. Will they give us some concrete ways to break this pattern of centralising power? I have spoken a lot about the violence, threats and harassment faced by councillors and election candidates. I noted that many of the people who faced the worst abuse have been re-elected into their communities, which indicates these hateful individuals are a minority. It is a nasty element of our political life that we need to confront, and in some rare cases abusive individuals who have acted in a questionable and objectionable manner have been elected alongside the individuals they have targeted. How do we ensure that councils are safe workplaces for everyone in this environment?