Time to look again at town councils
Finances aside, reform of local government is necessary, particularly when it comes to town and city councils. It makes no sense that just three towns in the county have town councils (Cavan, Cootehill, Belturbet) while others such as Bailieboro, with perhaps larger populations, do not. Add to this the fact that the boundaries for the existing town councils are out of date and don't take into account the areas on the periphery of the towns (in Cavan about half the population live outside the official town boundary) and it's definitely time for a review.
Some would argue that the town councils make little or no difference when it comes to the development and delivery of vital services countywide - which are largely looked after by Cavan County Council (after all towns throughout the county seem to manage just fine). Does it really make sense to have town councils at all? Is it not just another unnecessary layer of local government? But then again it can't hurt to have another set of elected representatives fighting for investment and raising local issues.
Pros and cons aside - the current system is outdated and unfair.
It's heartening that the Minister for Local Government, Phil Hogan, during his visit to Cavan town last Friday said that there would be no amalgamation of county councils at this time. But his assurances that there would be some changes inside the county boundaries is welcome.
There are 80 town councils nationwide with 774 councillors sitting on them - to close them would save the state hundreds of millions of euro every year - unless of course there is real evidence that they are delivering value for money.
There are some who argue that town and city councils deliver real value for money in the areas they represent. But it is very difficult for anybody to argue against a root and branch review and reconfiguration when you look at the agenda for the monthly meeting of Cavan Town Council last Monday evening. When the agenda was sent out on Monday, it featured no members' motions - none. It was the council's regular meeting, so elected representatives (nine in total) were well aware of when it was taking place. What then does it say when the agenda features no motions put forward by councillors for debate and discussion?
Are taxpayers and ratepayers getting value for money? Are there not plenty of issues to debate - the reform of local government and county enterprise boards, the impending closure of the Cavan army barracks, the need for a strategic plan for the Dublin Road area (which has been hard hit by the downturn) to name a few.
The Council executive has set aside this time every month to deal with any issues that members see fit to raise and councillors get their representational payments and expenses for attending such meetings. Certainly, they could raise any issue on the night of the meeting but how efficient is that when the executive has not had sufficient notice to do any necessary research or clarify any upcoming issues in advance of the meeting?
Some 400 delegates from local authorities all over the country applauded the minister last Friday when he said that county councils were safe from amalgamations. It's a pity that the elected representatives for Cavan town couldn't muster up the same enthusiasm to submit some real and meaningful motions for their local authority meeting the following Monday evening.
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