Fórsa has called on the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on the Future of Local Democracy to introduce local government reform in order to enhance local government and local services, and invest in a system that is fair, open, transparent, and well-funded.

Speaking at the public hearing in the Oireachtas yesterday, Head of Fórsa’s Local Government and Local Services and Municipal Employees’ Divisions Richy Carrothers told the Committee that Ireland now has the worst level of local representation and the weakest local government of any country in Europe. He said that austerity, privatisation, executive direction and centralisation have “hollowed out public services” and stripped local authorities and local communities of their democratic power.

“Local government presents the greatest inter-relationship between the citizen and the State and must be protected, promoted and strengthened. Today our local government is being actively degraded. Essential public services like housing, water, energy and waste are being undermined, and trust in our system of government is being eroded day by day,” he said.

Richy spoke of the challenges faced by the sector, both past and present, which continue to cause a deep and significant impact on the provision of services and the retention and recruitment of staff. 

“At the height of the financial crisis, 10,000 jobs were lost in the local government sector, the greatest proportion of jobs in any sector in the Irish public service, and has resulted in deep and long-term problems of grade drift and blurring the demarcation of duties and responsibilities,

“We can track the correlation between the loss of these posts, centralisation, loss of services to communities, democratic deficits and the perception of disempowerment amongst communities. Changes in population demographics, public spending, staffing levels, and public perception of public services continue to present an ever-changing landscape. What we do know is that the sector can be incredibly agile and responsive to new and emerging challenges,” he said.

Richy outlined to the Committee a number of reforms, which Fórsa has long campaigned for, that would enhance local government covering waste, water, housing, and energy services. These include: 

• Further legislative changes to facilitate directly elected mayors with real power and funding.
• Re-imagined local democracy, underpinned by citizen engagement.
• Increased revenue and funding powers, with parallel systems of accountability and transparency, to move the percentage of local authority-managed public spending towards the European average. 
• An immediate end to the outsourcing of council housing maintenance and a shift to a new local authority-led public housing model. 
• Stronger regulation of the waste sector to ensure that every household has access to an affordable waste disposal service, as a precursor to the reintroduction of improved public provision. 
• A constitutional referendum on the right to water, which should ensure that water and wastewater services remain in public ownership and control. 
• Investment in local authority environmental and sustainable energy infrastructure and staff, to facilitate the maximum use of the SEAI ‘Better Energy’ programmes.

He urged the Committee to work with local authorities, trade unions, and representative groups to improve local services and local democracy.

“With your help, we can improve local services in our communities, for people now, and for future generations. The people demand and deserve a local government system that is fair, open, transparent, and well-funded. A system of local democracy that is connected, accessible and accountable. Community enhancement and empowerment are the key ingredients to achieving improved local democracy,” he concluded.

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