Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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We should not lose sight of the fact that democracy is a great leveller. That is one of the advantages of elected town councils, as opposed to voluntary fora, and it gives them a degree of authority. Having been a member of a community council prior to the establishment of the town council, I can say that there certainly was a noticeable difference between the two. Community councils are often ad hoc by nature. A structure is required in order to prevent their domination by certain groups, which can skew things and prevent them from being inclusive. While I have no difficulty with the spirit of the amendment, it is important to bear that aspect in mind.

Part of the problem I see with the municipal districts is in terms of their engagement with the various communities within those districts. Going back to my own experience in local government, I found there was a very different focus as between town and county council. In the case of the former - I accept it might just be my own particular experience - there was a great effort to be inclusive of the community, with sub-committees made up of local people which could make recommendations in the area of arts, culture, tidy towns and so on. The county council, on the other hand, was much more legalistic and stuffy in its attitude to that type of engagement. Much will depend on the functions the municipal districts will have and where their focus lies. Such initiatives as annual awards nights, people of the year events, front garden competitions and so on - the types of activities that are run of the mill for a town council - are very useful in terms of community building. The municipal districts will have to take on board some of those issues. Otherwise, they will fall to community councils, which will not have even the minor administrative powers currently available to town councils. These types of voluntary community fora can be important from the point of view of consolidating communities, but they will have to function at a much lower level than the town councils they might be replacing.