Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I compliment the Green Party on bringing it forward and I will support the proposal.

As far back as 2001, the Local Government Act provided that the mayor or cathaoirleach of city and county councils would be directly elected in 2004, but the relevant sections of the Act were repealed by the Local Government (No. 2) Act 2003 before they were to be implemented in 2004 in the local elections of that year. This proposal goes back quite some time.

Our European and American neighbours have had directly elected mayors in their cities for decades. It is a tried and trusted system, albeit in varied forms across Europe and America. There is no point in directly elected mayors, whether in Dublin or any other city or town, unless they have real power, responsibilities and, crucially, accountability.

The proposal before us is a stand-alone one that can be dealt with on its own and there is no need to defer it until 30 June as called for in the Government amendment.

There is an urgent need for wider local Government reform, which is referred to in the Government amendment. I call for the re-establishment of borough and town councils throughout the country, including those in my constituency such as the old Clonmel Borough Council and the town councils of Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary, Cashel, Thurles, Nenagh and Templemore, and the creation of a town council for the town of Roscrea. There is now widespread acceptance that local democracy has been seriously undermined by the abolition of those town and borough councils and the amalgamation of county councils such as North Tipperary County Council and South Tipperary County Council by the former Minister, Mr. Phil Hogan, and the last Fine Gael-Labour Party Government. This has been admitted by the current leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Brendan Howlin.

There is no doubt that the public in towns throughout the country feel undermined, disenfranchised, neglected and forgotten. That is the overwhelming view and message being sent to Oireachtas Members, myself included, who meet members of the public in towns throughout the country. There is an urgent necessity to re-establish the boroughs and town councils.

The Government amendment refers to a wide consultation with all relevant stakeholders prior to the announcement of proposals. I have heard nothing of such consultations. If they have been commenced, when did they commence? If not, when will they commence? What stakeholders are involved? What is the proposed timeline?

As I stated at the outset, I support the Bill.

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