Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Currie for sharing her time. I welcome the motion. I believe in the concept of a directly elected mayor. That idea of subsidiarity and democratic accountability at local level is tremendously important. In that regard, there is a big gap in the motion. Nothing in the motion will actually empower councillors to any greater extent than they are currently empowered. I have for a long time and on many occasions in this House complained about the fact that in the past two decades or more, successive Governments have stripped powers away from local councillors and vested those powers in unelected and largely unaccountable officials at local level - chief executives, directors of services and other council officials. To a large extent, councillors do not have the power to effect change on issues of planning or anything else one likes at local level, right down to road works and potholes. That relegates councillors to the position of being local ambassadors to the chief executive of a local authority. Having a directly elected mayor will not change that but one thing it will do is introduce democratic accountability at local level in terms of executive decisions that are made at that level. It is entirely appropriate that we would have a person with that role and mandate from the people who are looked after by that local authority. A citizens' assembly can do that.

The Government has tried to do this before. I was part of the colloquium that existed before 2019 among the four Dublin local authorities that ultimately rejected the notion, albeit arguably on a technicality. In tandem with the directly elected mayor, there is a need for reform to ensure this does not create another layer.One of the things I find greatly regrettable and, to my mind, inexplicable is that where this has already happened with a directly elected mayor in Limerick, the chief executive of the new council, even though he should be wielding less power and have less responsibility, is now paid more than he was beforehand. The citizens in Limerick, the taxpayers, ratepayers and local property tax payers, are now paying a chief executive of the council, who has less responsibility and presumably less power, and they are paying for a new directly elected mayor and all of the other supports that are going to have to go with that person. To my mind, this makes no sense at all. There is great merit in the suggestion of a directly elected mayor but it must be done in a way that delivers for the people. It must be done in a way that works with the councillors who are there already.