Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Many of my own colleagues, too. I recognise the Minister's efforts to appease many of the authorities' members by ensuring municipal district councils will have devolved or, as he stated, greater, powers, but only one such power is not currently in the remit of local authorities. Hence my suggestion that the list be updated and that departmental functions relating to local authorities be devolved so as to give meaningful effect to the change that has supposedly been promised.

Deputy Catherine Murphy rightly stated that many town councils had played a fine role in areas other than those normally associated with local authorities, those being, housing, planning, lighting, water, etc. Town councils give much help and deliberation to retailers, community organisations and sporting clubs that may be lost in this change. I am mindful that some town council areas do not have the populations of many larger areas, from 7,000 people down to the likes of Clones, which has a small population but an effective town council. The same is the case in many parts of Donegal, my county and elsewhere.

Deputy Stanley and I have the best of intentions in wanting to plug the gap. There is room for community councils. Their work can be assessed, a similar proposal to Deputy Catherine Murphy's, who referred to analysing the benefit of the so-called reform that has been laid before the House. Community councils would look after areas that will be lost in the cull. Their structures would reflect the natural communities of their respective areas and each village and town should have its own community council. The number of members should range from seven to 15 people, who could undertake their duties on a voluntary basis and be elected annually at the council's AGM, where persons on the register of electors would be invited to cast their votes. Each council could extend ex officio non-voting positions to representatives of local community groups. The community councils could draft local area plans in conjunction with the executive of the districts.

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