Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

If councillors had the power to challenge the decisions that were made, there might have been a greater chance that some of the more disastrous decisions on planning would not have been made. However, councils are now controlled by county managers and decisions are increasingly being reverted centrally to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. If there is to be real accountability, there must be a far greater level of democracy at local level and co-operation between democratic local government and the Department.

Real local government should be able to make democratic decisions that best suit the local areas. This should be combined with a level of oversight at national level. Ultimately, it is imperative that the Government reverses its decision to terminate this independent inquiry into planning irregularities.

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