Local Government Reform-No future for Town Councils?

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Local Government Reform-No future for Town
Councils?
Dr. Seán ÓRiordáin Director, Public Policy
Advisors Network www.seanoriordain.ie
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How we organise ourselves (1)

• 15 Government Departments
• 124 State Companies
• 200 plus arms length agencies
• 1National Police Force
• 1 Defence Force
• Decentralised Education System
• A National Health System
• Disaggregated local framework

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How we organise ourselves (2)

• Statutory Local Government
• 80 Town/Borough Councils
• 34 County/City Councils
• 34 County/City Development Boards
• 8 Regional Authorities
• 2 Regional Assemblies

• Local
• Administration
• 60 plus Area based Initiatives
• 52 Local Development Companies
• 33 County/City Childcare Committees
• 35 County/City Enterprise Boards
• 32gt16 VECs
• 5 Harbour Authorities

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Public Management
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How we organise...

• How
• Specialisation
• Professionalization
• Mandates
• Political Direction

• Structures
• Horizontal Silos
• Layers of governance
• Local to regional to national to international

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So what is needed?

• What?
• Service quality and citizen based service
  provision
• Participation and policy collaboration with
  internal stakeholders
• Participation and policy collaboration with
  external stakeholders
• Organisation of structure/Institution
• Spatial/territorial perspective
• Resourcing and appraisal

• How?
• More iterative co-governance
• Some applications in centralised governance
• Some in autonomous governance

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Is this likely?
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Suggestions on Town Government Reform

• Abolish
• Merge
• Renew

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Why Abolish/Merge...?

• Against
• Savings limited
• Loss of local discretion
• Loss of local leadership
• Inability to influence decisions

• For
• Some Savings
• Greater professionalization
• Strengthen County leadership
• Ability to deliver more effective public services

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Why Renew?

• Location based shared service platform
• Reduce distance between decisions and the citizen
• Enhanced taxation capacity
• Enhanced capability and democracy
• Greater capacity for participation/volunteerism
• Breaking down of barriers to entry to politics
• International Evidence

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What is likely?

• Re-configuration of Town/Area Structures
• Limited underpinning of County/City Government
• Limited change on Regions
• No change on shared service platforms
• No change on governance integration
• Limited shift in local-centre linkages
• Continued policy disaggregation

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SoDeath by a thousand cuts...?
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....or an unrivalled opportunity for our towns?

• Reinforced role in planning, housing, community
  and local development
• Re-orientation towards the urban centre and its
  role within the wider rural context
• Full country coverage which should complement EU
  Rural Policy Platform
• Re-ignition of the principles of local self
  government
• Potential to enhance local flexibility to
  confront on-going austerity
• Movement towards municipal government models
  across the EU