Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is all about trying to increase participation in local democracy. This is where we have to think about this third layer of government and what that is. Is it town councils or is it an expansion of the municipal district councils? We have to be honest with ourselves that the role of a councillor is now almost a full-time one. There is no point trying to fool ourselves in that respect. All parties had difficulties trying to secure candidates for the recent local elections. If someone were to tell their employer tomorrow morning that they wanted to run in the local elections, the employer would ask them whether they want a job or to run in the local elections. That is the reality. As Councillor Anglim said, the respect is not there anymore for politics in general but definitely in relation to the role of the councillors. The respect and value a councillor can bring to a community are now lost to the general public and that needs to be addressed.

Trying to increase participation is about making it easier for people to engage in politics. That is where we have to look at this third layer of government. Whether than means expanding the municipal districts or establishing some form of town or urban district councils, that is the space we need to be in. We need people to be easily engaged in the democratic process. It is not easy to engage at the moment and the role of a councillor is, for want of a better word, full-time. As one of the witnesses said, you may get documents on a Friday and you do not have time to read them. The first decision at the first meeting of the new Wicklow County Council was a legal decision on whether the members would give the chief executive the power to represent them at a High Court hearing of a judicial review of the county development plan.

They are sitting there without anybody explaining it to them. This is where this advice is needed for councillors but overall, it is about trying to make it easier for the people to participate in local democracy and that is where this third layer of government is needed.