Legislation aimed at reducing the number of local authorities from 114 to 31 was published by environment minister Phil Hogan yesterday (17^th October). The Local Government Bill 2013 is set to be enacted before next summer’s local elections.

IMPACT moved to ensure that the changes would be managed through the Croke Park process when the legislation was first mooted last year. That commitment remains as part of the Haddington Road agreement, which means there will be no compulsory redundancies and that staff will continue to get the protections in the agreement in redeployment or relocation situations.

The legislation will see the number of councillors reduced by 42 per cent (from 1,627 to 949) and the number of local authorities cut from 114 to just 31. All 80 existing town councils will be replaced by municipal districts made up of county councillors from the area. There will be 137 municipal districts with the membership and configuration determined at council level. The number of county councillors in more populated counties will be increased.

IMPACT national secretary Peter Nolan said the reforms must not reduce public participation in local decision making. “Local authorities should be the body of choice for delivery of public services to the community, and communities need to be part of the decision making process. These changes put that process further beyond the immediate reach of many citizens, and in that respect we all need to be cautious,” he said.

Peter said service delivery had suffered in the past when services were taken from local authorities and outsourced to private suppliers and other agencies. “Waste management is perhaps the clearest example of what can go wrong. Illegal dumping and increased charges to customers have been the single biggest outcome of the decision to sell off Dublin city’s waste collection. Whatever these changes bring to local government, we need to continue to ensure that services are protected. That’s in the interest of every citizen as well as IMPACT members,” he said.

The minister has said the changes will save taxpayers €420 million over four years while devolving power from central government to local and regional levels. He said 80% of revenue raised from the property tax will be ring-fenced for local authorities. From 2015 councillors will have the power to vary the revenue to suit local needs.