Seeing as we were discussing ‘power grabs’ a while back, check this out… October 17, 2013
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Politics.trackback
The Government will publish legislation today that will pave the way for the abolition of 80 town councils, merge six county councils into three, and reduce the number of councillors in the State from 1,650 to 950.
…remove the number of seats, cut down on the number of dissenting voices.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
Far be it from me to defend Phil Hogan (or Enda Kenny), but there’s nothing much to get excited about here – whether in a positive or negative sense.
Toothless town councils are being abolished. Their very minor functions are not being ‘grabbed’ by central government but are being transferred to the county councils.
Members of county councils will see a minor increase in their power vis-à-vis council officials. The overall effect will be cheaper and very slightly more democratic local government.
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In the wider context of botched reform its hard to sell this but on its own merits I am open to the idea that this is no bad thing.
Reducing the no. of seats could indeed reduce the no. of voices but is that a justification for the number 1650. I don’t think it is. Whether 1650 is indeed just right is something else. I’d be open to thinking its a bit high and the areas too small such that its not a plurality of opinions the govt. faces but a hopelessly divided and small scale local govt. apparatus.
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The number of clrs is irrelivent, it could be doubled or halved and it wouldn’t make a difference if all they have is a right to make consultation. If people knew what they wanted councils for, a clear definition of actual local government then i suppose numbers would be relivant after it was agreed what local was, parish, townland city or county etc. The way we approach it now is that its sort of symbolic representation and the bean counter argument is the logic that comes out of that thinking.
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