Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this debate on local government reform and this comprehensive Bill. Before I begin, I wish to convey my sympathies on the sudden death yesterday of a councillor, Mr. Gary Wyse, of Fianna Fáil in Waterford city. Gary was a deeply committed and passionate public representative and will be a loss to the local authority and the public.

We must ask the question of whether local authorities are fit for purpose, are sustainable under current funding models and serve the communities in the best way possible. If we were all honest, the answer would be "No". The last serious attempt at reform was Better Local Government in 1999 under a previous Government. I was a councillor for almost eight years. In that time, I witnessed the duplication of management in unnecessary layers. Deputy Boyd Barrett might be right in a sense, in that the system was top heavy. There was also a lack of connectivity with communities. The remaining link to communities is the democratically elected councillor. We need to give credit where it is due. Councillors stand before their communities every five years and are elected to do a job.

The problem with Better Local Government was the limiting or removal of councillors' powers. It remains the fundamental problem with the development of local government. Continuing with the present regime is not an option. Local authorities are unsustainable and do not deliver the services that our communities need. Either we reform or local authorities will perish. For this reason, I welcome the Bill.

We inherited our system from British rule. Some councils represent towns with small populations. While I acknowledge the good work that town councils have done down the years, there is no equality between them. Lismore in County Waterford is a relatively small town, yet the county has two or three larger towns that have no councils. Where is the equality in this? The Bill goes a long way towards addressing that inequality by setting up new municipal districts and, in larger urban centres, metropolitan areas.

Challenges remain. In my area, there will be an amalgamation between the Waterford city and county authorities. There are genuine concerns about this proposal. I hope that, as the Bill is debated, the Minister will reassure people and show them that this reform will enhance Waterford city and not undermine it, as some people claim. A critical mass will be created through the inclusion of the adjacent towns of Tramore and Dunmore East. The metropolitan area's population will increase to more than 65,000, the generally recognised population for a city. As the gateway city for the south east, Waterford and its new mayor should lead the way for development in the region.

We can address the challenges facing us and reform in a positive and significant way that will deliver services for our communities. However, responsibility comes with reform. I remember my time on the council. To be straight, most of the decisions that we made were on adopting county development plans and annual budgets. For the rest of the year, one was simply deciding on increasing the cost of a recycling bag. This is not real power for democratically elected local government members.

Under this legislation, local authority members will have the power to increase or decrease revenue from the local property tax by 15%, allowing them to decide investment priorities in their districts. They will also have additional powers of oversight and audit, in that a special committee will be set up under this Bill to ensure that spending is better managed within local authorities. The Bill will create efficiencies and allow local community groups to give their views in a more democratically accountable way.

Many agencies have been operating at arm's length from citizens for many years, including the county and city enterprise boards, CEBs, and Leader partnership boards. Some of these have been operating well, but they are not as accountable to local citizens as they should be.

I wish to raise a specific issue with the Minister of State.

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