Councillors 'skeptical' about local government reforms

Councillors in Westmeath have expressed scepticism about how much real power will ultimately be devolved to local government under a major programme of reform. One member describing himself as a “sceptic” and another said he was looking at the proposals with a “jaundiced eye”.

The comments came at the council’s September meeting as Westmeath County Council director of services Jackie Finney outlined the Local Democracy Task Force report and implementation plan, which sets out changes to local government structures, funding, functions and governance ahead of the 2029 local elections.

Further clarification also came from Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, who is now president of the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) for the coming year. The AILG is to have a statutory footing under the proposals and is expected to have a greater role in national policy development affecting local government.

Ms Finney said the task force report, published on July 22, contains eight key objectives, 23 high-level recommendations and 79 actions. Implementation is due to begin in the fourth quarter of this year and continue to 2029.

Among the proposals are the replacement of municipal districts with municipal councils with enhanced decision-making and budgetary powers.

Ms Finney said Westmeath was “well placed” for the transition because the county already has two municipal districts and 20 elected members.

She said the boundaries of the existing districts would not change under the proposals, while the full council would retain overall primacy.

Decisions that could be taken at local level would be taken by the municipal councils with a focus on town-centre regeneration and local priorities.

The reforms would also provide councillors with improved access to information, statutory response times for their representations and enhanced training and support.

A new council oversight and governance committee would replace the existing corporate policy group, while strategic policy committees would have more defined work programmes and reporting responsibilities.

Cllr O’Rourke told his fellow councillors that the AILG had been “name checked” 64 times throughout the task force document and that placed a significant responsibility on the organisation.

He said the AILG was already conducting a national roadshow to ensure that no local authority or elected member was left behind in the process.

Under the proposals, the AILG would be brought into discussions within government departments when policies affecting local government are being developed, in a similar way to other state and semi-state bodies.

Cllr Ken Glynn said he would “wait and see” before being convinced by the proposals. “Maybe call me the skeptic,” he said, adding that he believed there would ultimately be a review of boundaries before the next local elections.

He questioned whether the proposals represented substantial reform or were largely a renaming and rearrangement of existing structures. “I’d like to see a bit of teeth on it before I’ll be convinced,” he said.

Cllr Mick Dollard also expressed doubts, saying he was looking at the proposals with a “jaundiced eye” after seeing numerous reports on local government reform come and go during his years as an elected representative.

He questioned whether significant powers would actually be devolved from central government to councillors.

He also pointed to the decision that abolished town councils and said he did not believe that ministers, TDs and senators would allow their roles to be significantly eroded by giving greater decision-making powers to local councillors.

Cllr O’Rourke acknowledged the scepticism, saying that councillors had “been down this road before” and had seen local government reform promised without it being delivered.

He said the new proposals represented important changes. He highlighted plans for strategic policy committees to have greater responsibility, and their chairs would be required to work to specific programmes and report regularly to councillors.

The proposed council oversight and governance committees would also meet more regularly and, in his view, strengthen accountability within councils.

He said the budget process would also change, giving councillors greater opportunity to influence the council’s annual financial direction.

Cllr O’Rourke also argued that the status of councillors needed to be addressed, saying the role had changed significantly over the last decade and that councillors were now effectively working full-time without being adequately remunerated or reimbursed for expenses.

“The job of councillor needs to change,” he said, arguing that it should be regarded as a full-time role with appropriate pay and expenses.

The task force implementation timeline envisages foundations and early measures being put in place during late 2026 and early 2027, and guidance on municipal council powers, standing orders and new arrangements expected in 2028.

The new municipal councils are due to come into being in time for the 2029 local elections.

Ms Finney said Westmeath would also have to introduce new arrangements for grant applications, responses to councillors’ representations and publication of council documentation.

A new customer contact management system is already being developed, while the council are also recruiting a communications officer.

The council agreed to note the task force report and implementation plan and proceed with the proposed approach; quarterly progress reports to councillors and workshops on municipal councils are planned.