Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity today to speak on this issue of directly elected mayors. I will start by reflecting on some comments the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, made last night in respect of the Local Government Bill 2018. The Minister of State noted that when he was speaking with the councillors' representative group, the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, it was not able to provide him with even one additional power that it thought could be allocated to councillors in the performance of their elected roles. That is difficult to believe but if it is true, it is shocking. Having spent 17 years as a councillor - the Minister of State also was a councillor - there are plenty that I could have suggested for the group. In respect of the specific role of directly elected mayors, there are powers I definitely believe should be allocated to these mayors should the plebiscites be successful. They are powers I note the Minister of State already has ruled out when he touched on the subject during the debate before Christmas and, again, this afternoon.

I believe that if all we are doing in creating directly elected mayors is creating a post for a councillor to go and cut ribbons, we are doing a disservice to the role in the first place and, in fact, are codding the people. They would be going out en masseto vote for a person who they believe could act as a genuine local leader who could effect change in their area only to find that the Government did not give him or her any real powers in the areas that matter. Those powers would still remain with the chief executive because those at Government level could not trust a mere elected councillor to have powers that could bring together the forward-looking plans we need for our towns and cities. If we really want to create the positions of directly elected mayors that will be comparable with the same positions across Europe that the Minister of State has cited, these need to be afforded executive powers. These executive powers should be along the lines of a director of services in respect of planning, housing and transport in order that when reports are produced by the respective professional persons at staff level in such local authority departments, ultimately, a file can be signed off on or rejected by an elected representative who has been sent there by the people of that county and city to do the job. That is the key line, namely, a person sent there by the people.

Increasingly, people are becoming frustrated that when it comes to major decisions impacting on their lives in their counties and cities, they suddenly find that those for whom they went out and voted do not have the power to make or rescind a decision. They can make lengthy speeches in the council chamber and can stand with people at a protest but they do not have the executive power to make or rescind executive decisions. It will be an unelected person, a faceless official whose details will not be listed in many cases on the local authority's website, not even his or her email address or telephone number, who will make that decision. Frankly, that is not right. I had enough of it when I was a councillor. I do not want to see an opportunity wasted by us not affording directly elected mayors, in whom people would have confidence, the power to do that.

As a country, we either will have the welcome conversation that, thankfully, is starting today in this Chamber about whether we now accept we have matured and moved past the scandals and clientelism that scarred this country in the post-Independence era to a position where we trust those elected to do the job we expect they should be able to do or, if the Minister of State does not create such a vista, we will be saying that our future leaders at local and city level, including those who have not yet even been born or conceived, are to carry the sins of a small number of their forefathers. We will be saying that, forever and a day, we do not believe we can trust elected members to discharge what is the preserve of unelected officials. I do not believe in that mantra. I want to see elected members have powers similar to those of a director of services in the areas of planning, transport and housing in order that they can set down a programme and vision for their respective city and county and then lead the development of that plan with the powers to implement it. I do not seek a situation where we have directed elected mayors rolled out to recite the corporate message of the local authority, that is, the "face" of the local authority, as the Minister of State called it, as opposed to the expressed will of the people.

The benefit of trusting our elected representatives with such power is that these officeholders will be accountable in a real sense for their actions to the people who elect them in their city or county. If they fail in meeting those high standards or in upholding their mandate, they will be gone in the next election. Let us take, as an example, the recent controversy in south inner-city Dublin surrounding the removal of the Weaver Square garden space, which is used currently for allotments by residents but will be turned into 100 rapid-build homes. It is a green lung in the heart of inner-city Dublin, which is a condensed urbanised space where there is a dearth of green space for city dwellers to enjoy a green lung and plant their own vegetables. It also is an urban space where there are thousands on the social housing waiting list and where 100 rapid-build homes would make a real difference to people waiting years for a place to call home. During that debate, there were passionate statements on both sides with equal credentials, but one statement that stood out for me was that of Ms Samantha McCaffrey from the Weaver Square Community Garden group, as reported in The Irish Times, "We want to see a fair, transparent public planning process”. That statement sums up the frustration of people with their local authorities when it comes to decisions that really impact their lives. People can live with final decisions if they can see that their opinion mattered in the process.

We need real decision-making powers for elected mayors. They should not be allocating a few bob for potholes or making representations to an engineer. We should have a situation whereby a local resident can speak to a local elected person who can either accept or reject his or her petition. The fact that so many decisions that matter to people are made by unelected officials is a source of great frustration. The public would prefer to have a mayor with the line manager power to sign or reject a planning file. This is a debate worth having and I am starting it today.

I referred to a recent controversy in Dublin by way of example. Of course, the plans being brought forward would have made little difference in that situation because there are no proposals for a mayor for our capital city, which quite frankly is unbelievable and a disgrace. Fianna Fáil firmly believes that Dublin needs a directly elected mayor. Deputy John Lahart, who will speak on the issue, brought forward a Bill on 27 October 2016 which proposed holding a plebiscite for a Dublin mayor. Fianna Fáil recognises that such a position could revolutionise the city of Dublin. If afforded the correct powers, it could ensure that we have a European capital which runs properly, rather than one strangled by transport issues, as was the case last year. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, strolled into the Chamber, said it was nothing to do with him and left again. Nobody was accountable and nobody took the issues by the scruff of the neck. However, everyone pays the price for the system that, as a country, we are prepared to endure. The citizens of Dublin want to see a massive step taken and a directly elected mayor for the city. That question should be put to the people.

Equally, there is a need for a discussion about the powers a directly elected mayor would have in order to get Dublin moving and operating correctly. That is the case for many areas of the country, in addition to Dublin and those listed, which would benefit from having a directly elected mayor.

Having had the honour of twice serving as mayor of my home town of Navan, I know what a privilege it is. However, we should seek to take the position to a new level. We should trust the people we elect and let them set out a vision which they can implement when elected rather than having a scenario similar to the presidential election, in which candidates talk policy but such flowery language means nothing in the long run in terms of tangible changes.

The Minister of State referred to councillors having Cabinet-style positions at a local level and taking the lead role in certain departments. That is the situation across Europe, as I am aware having engaged with councillors in twinned towns across the Continent. However, there is no point in floating that idea unless those lead Cabinet roles would come with the powers of a director of service.

I welcome the discussion. The Minister of State has come forward and asked for our opinions. I have given mine. I hope they will be taken on board and that we can have a robust debate and work collaboratively to ensure that if directly elected mayors are endorsed by the people in a plebiscite, they will have real powers, be truly representative, change the communities they represent and be accountable to the people. If we do that, it will be a good piece of work and we will have changed the system in this country in a meaningful way for generations to come.

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