Post on 07-Mar-2016
description
Overview of local government
reform in Ireland
Dr. Seán Ó’Riordáin
Introduction
• Overview of Local
Government Reform
• The Role
• Finance
• Prospects?
Sub-National Structures
Local
Administration
60 plus Area based Initiatives
52 Local Development Companies
33 County/City Childcare Committees
35 County/City Enterprise Boards
32 VECs
5 Harbour Authorities
Statutory Local
Government
80 Town/Borough
Councils
34 County/City
Councils
34 County/City
Development Boards
8 Regional Authorities
2 Regional Assemblies
But critically...
•15 Government Departments
•124 State Companies
...and what about their arms
length agencies...
...critical that local government
reform be seen within an
overarching reform of the Irish
public service!
Is bigger better?
NO
•Evidence suggests that bigger
might be better in a limited range
of services
•Smaller is better in citizen
focused services
Country Units of
Administration
Councillor/
Elector Ratio
France 36,880 116
Ireland 34 Co/City
Councils
80 Towns
3,585
711
Italy 8,215 397
Spain 8,149 597
United Kingdom 472 2,605
7
17
31
45
66
134
48
100 000 and over
40 000–99 999
20 000–39 999
10 000–19 999
6 000–9 999
2 001–5 999
< 2 000
But what about
elsewhere...Finland
75 %
80 %
50 %
JOENSUU
LAPPEENRANTA
SAVONLINNA
KOTKA
KOUVOLA
MIKKELI
KUOPIO
JYVÄSKYLÄ
ROVANIEMI
KAJAANI
OULU
KEMI
PORVOO
HYVINKÄÄ
LAHTI
JÄRVENPÄÄ
HELSINKI
KERAVA
TAMPERE
HÄMEENLINNA
NURMIJÄRVI
RIIHIMÄKI
LOHJA KIRKKONUMMI
TUUSULA
SEINÄJOKI
KOKKOLA
SALO
NOKIA
VAASA
RAUMA
TURKU
PORI
KAARINA
© Municipal boundaries: Statistics Finland
Territorial Councils
• 11 Regional Councils
• 12 City Councils
• 54 District Councils
• 6 Unitary Authority Councils
• Community Boards
• All elected
• Auckland City Region-largest pop 1.216 m, 8,000 employees
• Chatham Island-population 726
• 3 year electoral cycle
• Regional mayors elected by regional councillors
• City/district directly elected mayors (non-executive bully pulpit)
New Zealand
Facts not myths please...
•Need for a comprehensive overhaul of
public management in Ireland
•Ireland may need more local elected
members to increase access into
politics not less
•Ireland is not Manchester!
•Reform must reflect Irish factors but
we must learn from others
•The Mayor is not the only answer...
•Place-based leadership the crucial
role
Key Reform Issues
• Lack of meaningful linkage between local authorities and community groups
• Comparatively few local authorities and councillors
• Local Government should be given a voice in relation to the local government dimension of matters such as the preparation of national economic programmes
• More attention should be paid to the policy role vested in the elected members
• Structured arrangements to facilitate contact between local authorities and community groups should be devised by each local authority
Better Local Government-1997/98
• BLG was based on four core principles: -Enhancing local democracy and widening participation
-Serving the customer better
-Developing efficiency in local government
-Providing proper resources to allow local government to fulfil the role assigned to it
• Partnership approach to national economic and social planning would be mirrored in the representation on the SPCs
• Establishment of Community and Enterprise Groups which would include members drawn from local development bodies
Task Force on Integration: 1999-2000
• Integrated strategies for each county/city involving a wide range of public sector agencies, the social partners, the community and voluntary organisations
• Focusing on social, economic and community development at local level
• The major problem with the existing structures was identified as the weakness of the linkages between them
• Establishment of Community and Voluntary Fora
Efficiency Review-2010
• Organisational Efficiency Issues
• Local Government Staffing
• Value for Money and Audit
• Shared Services
• Procurement
• Local Government Services
Mahon...
•Need a system based upon the
democratic process
•Complementing best international
practice
• Transparent systems in place which
underpin the decision-making
• A renewed local political process is
central to a renewed planning process
•Charter on Local Self-Government
Fair conduct of elections, Representation and Participation Responsiveness, to ensure the local authority meets the legitimate
expectations and needs of citizens
Efficiency and effectiveness, to ensure that objectives are met while
making the best use of resources
Openness and transparency, to ensure public access to information and
facilitate understanding of how public affairs are conducted
Rule of law, to ensure fairness, impartiality and predictability Ethical conduct, to ensure the public interest is put before private ones
Competence and capacity to ensure that local representatives and officials
are well able to carry out their duties
Innovation and openness to change to ensure that benefit is derived from
new solutions and good practices
Sustainability and long-term orientation, to take the interests of future
generations into account
Sound financial management, to ensure prudent and productive use of
public funds
Human rights, cultural diversity and social cohesion, to ensure that all
citizens are protected and respected and that no one is either
discriminated against or excluded
Accountability, to ensure that local representatives and officials take
responsibility and are held responsible for their actions.
12 Principles for local Government
•Constitutional Reform
•Legislature/Executive Re-structuring
•Public Sector Re-structuring
•Reduction of public authorities through re-
absorption/merger
•Greater accountability for individual public
servants
•Re-balancing of local government and
agencies
•Re-structured arrangements for public
service co-ordination
Overview of Party Manifestos
Local Government Specialist
Group Submission • The role of the Public Service
• The role of local government
• Resourcing of local government
• The scope for local flexibility
• A local-national policy framework
• Greater integration of local, regional and national
planning
• Integration of local development, community
development and enterprise development processes
• A common set of boundaries across public bodies,
locally and regionally
• Underpinning of development board role
• Refocusing of Member-Official roles
• Site Valuation Tax/Water Utility Business Case
• Anticipating future challenges and opportunities for the local area;
• Building coalitions and looking outside community boundaries for knowledge and collaboration;
• Advocating powerfully on behalf of the local community with the creditability to negotiate across all sectors;
• Arbitrating between competing local interests and supporting community cohesion, taking tough choices where necessary;
• Listening to the views of local residents and other stakeholders and building trust in local institutions;
• Being open with information and ensuring transparency in decision making;
• Demonstrating a high level of understanding of local issues and having a strong evidence base which shapes policy priorities;
• Focusing on service performance for its impact on the community rather than to meet government requirements, looking outward rather than upward; and
• Championing efficiency and service innovation-getting the best value from public expenditure and maximum impact from private investment in their area
What we see modern Local Government as...
Local Government needs
active citizens
•Community and societal development is based upon a process of collaborative planning
•Social inclusion based on targeted local development needs
•Partnership / participation based on the development of governance having real inclusion in decision making capability
•Democratic legitimacy based upon an integrated framework of elective and participative forms of governance
Key Finance Issues
• Dependency on central government
• Cost Shifting: Operations vs capital
• Limited Range of fees, charges and taxes
• State Agency Role
• Block Grant/Specific Grants
• Limited centralization of collection systems
• Need for efficiencies-back office opportunities
Per Capita Exp 2009 (€)
Austria 2,687
Denmark 15,122
Finland 7,297
Slovakia 883
Lithuania 843
Ireland 2,791
Quick comparison-2011
Location Fingal London Neuss Grafing The Hague
Water charges Nil €1,200 €1,000 €1,000 €1,044
Property
Charges
Nil €3,000 €300 €400 plus Fire
service charge
€232
Motor Tax €550 €260 €600 €720 €624
Licences €12.70 N/Ap €100-€534 €100 n/ap
Summary points
to note
• Ireland is not centralised
• Disaggregated model
• Local Authorities larger than European norm
• Lower representation levels
• Lower Public Service Spend proportion
• Broadly consistent functions save education/public
health...but primarily engineering focused
So what about the Future Local
Authority?
The Programme for Government suggests...
• Leadership through the Council
• Vertical/Horizontal coherence
• Coordination role
• Central role in local social inclusion
• Renewed role in economic development
• Refocusing of performance determination and evaluation
So this means?...
• Smaller, streamlined local government arrangements
• Reduced responsibilities for engineering services
• Enhanced local economic role
• Re-balancing of elected member-manager
• Executive Mayor?
• Re-configured community development responsibilities
• Resourcing...???
But what should it mean...?
A local government system, fit for purpose, is
likely to:
• Have more functions
•Be more democratically accountable to local
communities.
•Have a sustainable local funding system,
and
•Have a more coherent division of functions
between town/district, city/county and
regional/national levels
What are we likely to have?
• A missed opportunity?
Or a local government system for
... the best small country in the world in which to do business, to raise a family and to grow old with dignity and respect?