Local government has become increasingly more complex as a result of having to process European directives and translate them to local level. Given that councillors must deal with areas of special conservation, SPCs, planning and many other aspects of running a county council and carrying out their duties as local representatives, the dual mandate is a huge contradiction. It means representatives must compartmentalise their time and deal with the various facets of their work, such as agendas for local council, health board, VEC, and many other matters.