Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to talk about the return of town councils, which did great work on behalf of the people, residents and businesses in many towns around the country. I thank the former members and management in the town councils of Killarney, Tralee and Listowel, who did great work in building up their towns to the great places they are today, providing the basic infrastructure such as water, roads, sewerage, footpaths, housing and amenities, all with very limited funds. Town councillors did not receive big money but gave great service to the people in areas they represented. The former Minister, Phil Hogan, thought that when he struck out town councils he was saving a lot of money but no money has been saved and it is good that we retained management, staff and work crews who are still working on behalf of our towns and the people in them. That is what the people got when they elected the last Government with one of the largest majorities in the history of the State. Fine Gael and the Labour Party did this to the people who elected them. They kicked them in the teeth and they kicked them in the backside because they have practically got rid of local development companies which delivered the Leader programmes and gave a bottom-up service to people in rural areas. I call on the Government to reinstate town councils and give the people the service on the ground which they require.

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