Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will get everyone out the gap by 11 a.m. with a quick summary. I thank everyone for these fascinating contributions, including the summary by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon.

Deputy Catherine Murphy referred to a directly elected tier of regional representatives. That should be explored, perhaps by An Coimisiún Toghcháin as a research piece. It would strengthen regional government and deliver balanced regional development and this committee should give consideration to that in its report.

I agree with all of the points made about a safe space for councillors, but also support for councillors in terms of secretarial office space and communication. As Deputies and Senators, we have all of those supports, but I recall going home after council meetings and sending emails at 11 p.m. There is very little support for the elected member. It is important that this matter be considered.

The issues relating to town and borough councils have been well exercised. There is definitely a majority opinion in this committee that the possibility of reinstating them needs to be considered, particularly the borough councils. I say that as someone who came from what was then the Kilkenny Borough Council, which was able to strike its own rate, had its own budgetary powers and had 12 elected members, who worked solely on an urban agenda.

I welcome Senator Cassells’s point about the positive force that local government is in our lives. I think of the small heritage grant schemes from my side of the Department, for example, the historic structures fund, the built heritage investment scheme and the monuments fund. Heritage officers across the country do amazing work with communities with these small grants, which are transforming people’s interest in heritage across Ireland.

Senator Wall spoke about reporting. That is something to which we need to give consideration. There is a deficit of reporting across the country by our local newspapers and radio stations. They do not have the resources to do it.

The issue of town teams largely emerged out of the town centre first policy. Their focus needs to be a collaborative one with elected members and they need to use elected members as a conduit for raising matters of improving urban areas in terms of dereliction, finishes and public spaces. If there is a feeling among councillors that the teams in some areas are getting about their station and going beyond their remit, town teams have a defined role and perhaps it needs to be redefined. Measures have been put in place under town centre first, for example, vacancy officers. Collaborating with communities on getting under the hood of the problem of why towns are not functioning as well as they should be is important.

I agree with Senator Boyhan’s point about independent expert advice for councillors.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and his predecessors, the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, and the Minister, Deputy Burke, in this Department. We have worked closely with them over the past four and a half years. While we have not got everything we wanted under the programme for Government in terms of local government reform, I feel encouraged by what is emerging from the process at this committee. The manifestos of the political parties should reflect that as well as the need for a fundamental reform of local government. After the next election, those parties that are in a position to form a Government should reflect that in their programme for Government. It needs to be ambitious. The challenges we face are immense, but the opportunities for local authorities are immense as well. We need to seize that opportunity and see meaningful reform in the next Dáil.