Michael McCarthy (Labour)

There have been occasions in the past and there will be in the future where county and city managers will disagree with the elected members. I can accept that but often there is good reason for a member of a local authority to make representations to or to plead with a manager to make a decision based on advice given by the member. When such a situation prevails in the context of a reserve function, the elected member has one hand tied behind his back because he does not have the power to make the decision or to be involved in the decision making process.

This amendment is as much about local government in general as it is about water service provision. The role of the elected member has been denigrated in recent times and that disconnects him from the public. There is cynicism abroad about politics for a variety of reasons and we must recognise what needs to be done by the Government to invigorate local government and to lessen the gap between the public and the political system. This system could be used to reconnect people with politics. We talk about it often enough, particularly when there are low turn outs at elections, but this small step could result in a turn about in how local government does its business, how politics is perceived by people and how people participate in the democratic process.