Issued : Friday 14 May, 2010

Mayor of Bandon, Cllr. Gearóid Buckley has criticised his fellow Bandon Town Councillors for not supporting a national campaign to change local government legislation that would enable ex-Town Commissioner Councils, such as Bandon, to exercise real power (see note below).

Cllr. Buckley stated, ‘At May’s Town Council meeting, I was disappointed that fellow Councillors did not support a proposal to campaign with all other Un-Rated Town Council’s for Rated (UDC) Status. It must be recognised that 29 ex-Town Commissioner Towns under one banner will bring the issue into the national domain and gather the momentum needed to give power back to Communities such as Bandon, Passage West and Bantry.

‘Before last years local election, candidates from all political parties stated that it is crucial that Bandon get upgraded powers if we are to tackle the many issues facing the Town. I challenge my colleagues to step up to the mark and put their energies where their promises were.

‘Minister John Gormley has started the process of looking at local government and is currently preparing a white paper entitled “Stronger Local Democracy”. This document will look at everything within local government and be the cornerstone for future legislation. A recent consultation document published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government stated that, despite the fact that many ex-Town Commissioner towns made submissions to this document, every Town Council has different and varying powers and there was no umbrella or global argument made on behalf of ex-Town Commissioners. This same document stated that Town Councils, like Bandon, are only serving a “ceremonial role” and not a governance role.

‘Currently, there is no procedure or format for acquiring an upgrade of power, and if each and every ex-Town Commissioner Town Council applies independently of each other, we are wasting the time of the department and more importantly of our communities. By not uniting to save our communities we are playing right into the Government’s oil can. We can spend the next four years meeting, writing letters, and petitioning but unless we are loud and clear with one message, one voice and one goal we are wasting valuable resources.

‘The legislation needed for a new Executive Mayor of Dublin is currently being prepared. This is a dramatic change in the Local Government Act. Although the motivation behind this new position is different to Bandon’s need for rated status, I do believe that it shows that change can happen.’

In conclusion Cllr. Buckley stated, ‘My fellow Councillors are very misguided if they believe Minister Gormley will improve Bandon Town Council’s powers and overlook larger towns such as Portlaoise and Mullingar. Every community that merits the responsibility to govern their locality should be entitled to do so. All politics is local and it is imperative that towns such as Bandon, Bantry and Passage West unite and campaign for a local democracy that places the power in the community and not with those who hold executive positions.’

Please Note:

The Powers of Existing Town Councils

Local government law differentiates between 2 types of town councils, those which were Urban District Councils (UDCs) and those which were town commissioners. Former UDC town councils (e.g. Clonakilty), as rating authorities, are conferred with real powers while former town commissioner towns (e.g. Bandon) have a predominantly representational or ceremonial role.

ENDS