Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 10 be taken before No. 1." I am introducing today my Private Members' legislation, the Local Government (Support for Elected Members) Bill 2024. I am grateful to my colleague, Senator Flynn, for seconding the Bill. This Bill is very simple. If passed, it would amend the Local Government Act 2001 to require that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage would create a new scheme to support the work of local councillors in their roles as public representatives.

Specifically, the Bill would extend the staffing supports we receive as Members of this House to every elected member of each local authority in Ireland. All of us in this House know the invaluable role our Seanad Office staff play in our work. We know this place would grind to a halt without them. However, local councillors across the country are doing the hard work of representing often large geographical electoral areas containing thousands of constituents without any administrative support at all. In the context of the massive decline of over 600 local representatives since the abolition of town councils in 2014, the expectations on councillors are now huge, unrealistic and growing, and councillors absolutely need more support. They have to contend with real and difficult local issues at the coalface, a large volume of correspondence and represent people and communities and politics at the levels closest to the actual reality of people's lives.

I am a member of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee. We heard during our hearings on the future of local democracy that the challenges faced by our councillors across the country are very serious. It was a common theme across all the submissions we received, and our report published last month must spur us into action. That is why I am introducing this Bill today; we need it. Today, the Seanad can send an important message to all our councillors that we believe their work to be absolutely critical, the role they play in Irish democracy is vital and they should accordingly be entitled at a minimum to the same administrative support in terms of staffing that is given to all other elected public representatives in Ireland, including all of us here. We cannot continue to deny councillors the help they need any longer. We must do something to support them. I commend the Bill to the House and ask for support from all Members.