Following the Government's recently announced local government reforms Senan Turnbull assesses the broad potential of the proposals and more specifically their potential impact on social justice advocacy at local level. According to our forthcoming mapping study of social justice advocacy, the majority of that advocacy happens at local level; hence these developments are very significant for the future of this work.
If the Government's recently announced reform of Local Government under 'Putting People First' is the most radical shake up of the system in 120 years, then it is a missed opportunity in a whole range of respects.
While the media have concentrated on the abolition of Town Councils, the reduction in the number of elected Councillors and projected savings of €400 million over a few years - the real story about how the reforms will impact on the quality of democracy and service delivery was totally ignored in their coverage.
By naming the new reforms the 'Action Programme for Effective Local Government' it is presumed that Phil Hogan, Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government thought that he was doing what the programme's title suggested. However it has to be asked if these reforms actually deliver a better form of local governance and bring us into line with often cited best practice in many other European countries?
Well I can't see that they will. The core issue is not the number of Councils or Councillors but their roles and effective powers. Changing the title of a County or City Manager to Chief Executive and asking Councillors to see themselves as the equivalent of a Board of Directors in a private company is all very well, but nowhere in the 200 page report does it spell out exactly how this will actually work in practice, beyond extended financial accountability. It seems that the analysis behind much of what the programme contains is driven by the requirements of cost control rather than citizens' needs or enhanced democratic engagement.
While much emphasis is placed on strengthening Councils' functions in economic development, there is no strengthening of their role in service areas such as education, health and policing as is typical of European local councils. In addition the report talks consistently about the importance of local government, but fails to outline the processes which will wrestle control or influence from central policy makers.
The Minister, as his titles indicates is Minister for Community, but here is little from the perspective of community and voluntary sector advocacy to give comfort that the opportunities set out in 'Better Local Government' in the late 1990s are being built upon, or remedied where they proved to be deficient in practice.
While many in the community sector will bemoan the integration of some local development organisations with local government, I believe that in the broadest terms this is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I do have a problem with the absence of direction as to how exactly this will work. Left to its own local dynamics, I fear the process of Councils overseeing the local development sector will diminish its future potential because of the lack of a clear and sector advised processes.
Section 11.9 of the Action Programme sets out what seems like an informed and positive approach to enhancing community involvement in local governance, but it qualifies all options with what 'could be' and leaves much of the detail to the future. It is extremely disappointing that after such a long gestation the programme has not been able to dispel the uncertainty among community activists; not to mention how the culture of local government will change so as to recognise the legitimate role of advocacy and representative groups in this brave new world.
There are some commendable measures, such as the width of issues it debates and the devolution of technical matters of infrastructure management (although without acknowledging the need to enhance resources to deal with these) BUT the 'Action Programme for Effective Local Government' is short on specific commitments to action, and it has no specific timeframe to implement what it sets out.
Many opportunities to devolve meaningful powers to a local level have been kicked to touch, as has the opportunity to create a real connection between citizens and their re-vamped Councils by paying any new property tax directly to their Council. Such a direct connection would radically alter peoples' expectations of their Council.
Despite the Minister's claims of radical change in his post launch interviews I don't see it 'Putting People First'.
Senan Turnbull is a volunteer in a number of civil society initiatives. He is a retired public servant with a particular interest in the nature of the relationship between the voluntary and state sectors.