Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Michael Collins and his colleagues for putting down this motion, which is particularly timely. The overall point I wish to make about Cork is that every effort should be made to reach agreement between the two authorities. I welcome the comments of the Minister of State in that regard.

Sometimes politicians forget that people are far more concerned about services than boundaries. Equally, I accept and support the need for the boundary of Cork city to be extended. There are clear anomalies already in Togher, Douglas and Rochestown, areas that are contiguous with the city and that are altogether urban and built up. They need to be within Cork city. However, I believe the extension of the city needs to go beyond that and provide scope for further development of Cork city in the years ahead.

There is a need for the overall strategic decisions that have to be made for Cork city and the greater Cork city area, metropolitan Cork or whatever one might call it, to be worked on jointly by both authorities on the key issues of economic development, long-term planning, having a tourism strategy and also the prioritisation of transport projects. There is often not enough work done on a joint basis. The Government needs to formalise that and ensure it is done. Both authorities are going to have to be willing to compromise if this is going to work out. We need progress on this and we need it quickly, and we need to have buy-in from both authorities ultimately because, when all of this is over and the dust settles, both authorities in Cork will have to work together in the spirit of co-operation into the future.

I disagree with my good colleague, Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe, about town councils. I was a member of Passage West Town Council for eight years. It was a former town commission as opposed to a former urban district council so it had very little power but it brought a focus to the town and ensured that every month, issues were raised, senior officials had to attend and they had to come back and account the following month for what they did or did not do on those issues. Some of the municipal districts we have are so large that quite large urban centres get lost as part of that process. Democracy should operate at as local a level as possible and, in my view, the restoration of town councils, though in a reformed, more modern and meaningful way, would be a great enhancement of the local democratic structures in this country. I thank Deputy Michael Collins for tabling this motion. Time is of the essence for Cork because there are many existing councillors and prospective candidates who want to start planning. I urge them to come together, be willing to compromise and reach an agreement.

See this speech in context