Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Local Government Reform Act 2014 of the then Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, and the previous Administration created a democratic deficit at the heart of Irish politics, placing more power in the hands of unelected officials. It utterly failed to transform how we do politics in this country. However, this policy shift must be welcomed.

The main strength of town councils was in the personal touch. One of the town council's most vital roles was regular liaison with the local area office of the local authority on issues such as grass cutting, road and footpath maintenance, signage, area enhancement and weed control. These are all the simple things that go unnoticed unless they are not done. For example, Lismore, a stunning heritage town, was dependent on its town council to promote tourism, interact with the tidy towns group and liaise with the local authority. The loss of the town council was widely felt by the local community. In Ireland, towns were used to electing representatives to represent them at local level. In 1898, local government in Ireland was recognised. The county town of Dungarvan, which has a population of 10,000 people, became an urban district in 1898. This system worked well and contrary to the idea peddled at the time of its abolition that we had too many elected representatives, we had the lowest number of councillors relative to population in the EU. The seaside town of Tramore, with a population of 12,000 residents, lost its town council and the right to make local decisions. We need local solutions for local problems.

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