Seanad debates
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Adjournment Matters
Electoral Divisions
9:35 pm
Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to discuss the issue of the local electoral area boundary committee which was established by the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to determine the electoral areas. The committee's terms of reference state at paragraph 9:
Therefore, based on the population threshold of 4,830 people per councillor, counties such as Roscommon, Leitrim and Sligo would have the minimum number of councillors, which is 18. The terms of reference continue:
Subject to a minimum total of 18 and a maximum total of 40 members of every other council -
- there should be one member for every 4,830 population in each council area ...
... in addition, and subject to a maximum of four additional members per council except where councils are merging:In my first reading of the terms of reference, Sligo, which is one of the five boroughs in the country, similar to Kilkenny, would have 18 councillors plus an additional four in lieu of the borough council that is moving. Around Leinster House, however, and from talking to colleagues from Fine Gael and the Labour Party, I have heard the suggestion that there is in fact a maximum of 18, including the additional four. I seek clarification on the question of whether Sligo is to have 18 or 22 councillors.
- in counties where there are existing town councils there should be four additional members per Borough Council and one additional member per Town Council ...
In the event that the maximum is 18, I wish to make the case, while acknowledging the expertise of Professor Gary Murphy in this regard, for additional councillors for the ninth largest urban centre in the country. We are all supportive of the need for rationalisation, savings and more efficient local government, as difficult as that is for all parties and councillors, but we must not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
The Minister of State, in her capacity as Minister with responsibility for housing, visited the Cranmore regeneration project in Sligo town last week. While the population within the borough is approximately 19,000, when account is taken of the population of the suburbs it is between 23,000 and 24,000, which means there are additional demands and a need for additional councillors to adequately cater for the people and the many diverse problems that come with a large area. The Minister of State will have seen the good work being done through the Cranmore regeneration project. In the event that the maximum is 18, then the budgetary situation in the Sligo area - which is, as I said earlier, effectively the ninth largest urban centre in the country - with the council already ยค73 million in debt and the old borough unable to balance its books, will be a challenge for those few councillors versus their colleagues who, obviously, are doing their best for the people in their particular areas.
We need clarification on this matter. I hope the clarification provided by the Minister of State will not be in line with the rumours circulating around the Houses for the past number of weeks. If so, there will be a need to move quickly to rectify this situation in the context of the five boroughs to ensure that where the population falls below the level required to ensure an automatic 18 councillors, this can be increased to 22 so as to in some way compensate for the loss of the borough while adhering to the theme of efficiencies and savings to the State. We must ensure there is not a lack of representation for larger urban centres such as Sligo.
9:45 pm
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank Senator MacSharry for raising this issue. My visit to Sligo last week was very positive. I was impressed by what is being done there, particularly in Cranmore. I hope I can clarify the situation for the Senator.
The action programme for effective local government, "Putting People First", was published on 16 October 2012. It sets out Government policy for reform across all the main areas of local government - namely, structures, functions, funding, operational arrangements, governance, the role of the executive and the elected council and engagement with local communities. The most fundamental reorganisation of local government structures since the present system began in the 1800s will be undertaken. A number of city and county local authorities will be unified; there will be extensive change at regional level, with rationalisation of structures and updating of functions, and at sub-county level a new system of municipal governance will be introduced. This will involve the comprehensive territorial configuration of each county into municipal districts in which the elected members will perform a range of important local functions on a fully devolved basis. The districts will be designed, as far as possible, around existing municipal towns and large urban centres which do not currently enjoy municipal status. Overall, the number of council seats will reduce from 1,627 to no more than 950.
My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Hogan, announced the appointment of an independent statutory local electoral area boundary committee on 15 November 2012 to carry out a local electoral area review, on which the new municipal districts will be based. The electoral review also has the specific goal of achieving better balance and consistency in representational ratios, while taking particular account of factors such as the location of towns and local identities in the new municipal governance arrangement. The terms of reference for the review contain the parameters defining the total number of seats on each council, including a weighting to be applied to take account of existing municipal towns. These take account of the significant population changes that have taken place since the current numbers were decided while at the same time ensuring adequate numbers for effective representation and governance in counties with lower populations.
The committee will review and make recommendations on local electoral area boundaries in the context of the results of the 2011 census and the action programme for effective local government. It has been asked to report to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government no later than 31 May 2013 and to review and make recommendations on the division of each council area, other than Cork city, into local electoral areas and to make recommendations on the number of members of each council to be assigned to each local electoral area.
The number of members for Dublin city and for Cork county are specified at paragraph 8 in the terms of reference. As already outlined by Senator MacSharry, for all other councils, as specified in paragraph 9, the numbers will be calculated on the basis of one member for every 4,830 of population, with additional members where there are existing borough and town councils and merging city and county councils. Those additions are subject to a maximum of four, except where councils are merging. These calculations are all subject to a minimum total of 18 and a maximum total of 40 members as set out in paragraph 9 of the terms of reference. Therefore, each of the five counties with borough councils will be allocated four members additional to the number of members by reference to population, plus the relevant town council addition, but subject to the limits set in the terms of reference on the maximum additions and on the overall number of members of the council.
It is a matter now for the committee to proceed with its work. We await its recommendations, which are due in May 2013. I have replied in general on the issue rather than specifically with regard to Sligo. However, I hope I have clarified the position.
Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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As the reply was drafted for the Minister of State, it is clearly not her fault. The Minister of State appears to be as confused as I am. The reply refers to an additional four members for boroughs. It also refers to a minimum total of 18 and a maximum of 40. I am sure the legal eagles would have good fun with that. As I understand it, places such as Sligo and Kilkenny will have 18 members plus an additional four. However, the view among the Minister of State's colleagues and others is that the maximum is 18. While I do not wish to disenfranchise County Leitrim, the population there is approximately 32,000, while the population in Sligo is approximately 66,000. As I stated earlier, Sligo has the ninth largest urban centre nationally. Perhaps the Minister of State will clarify whether the maximum for Sligo will be 18 or 22. In the event that it is only 18, I ask that the Minister revisit the decision. It would be ridiculous in the extreme to suggest that 18 members will represent 66,000 equally as well as 18 will represent 32,000.
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I will try to get the specifics for Sligo, which I understand is what Senator MacSharry wants. The Minister, Deputy Hogan, stated in his press release on this matter that in counties where there are existing town councils there should be four additional members per borough council and one additional member per town council. I do not know if that makes the position any clearer.
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I will ask the Minister to forward the specifics about Sligo to Senator MacSharry.
Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State.