| Putting People First-the end of local democracy? Posted: 26 Oct 2012 02:53 AM PDT - How does the elimination of 75 town councils and 700 local representatives enhance local government and accountability?
- How do you justify increasing the ratio of councillors from 1 in 2,336 (2nd lowest in EU) to 1 in 4,800, making us the most under-represented country in the EU.
- Is it really worth doing to save €6 million?
- If so, why isn't Greece doing the same (1 councillor per 1,000) or France (1 councillor per 118) or Germany (1 councillor per 350).
- Why are the same people being elected to both Municipal Area Councils and County Councils, What about the Dual Mandate?
- Is cutting 7 regional assemblies an increase in local government?
- Why are there no direct elections to the remaining regional assemblies?
- Why are you voting to remove Town Councils, Borough Councils and City Councils which have existed separately for centuries in the interests of savings only, taking in no account the historical, economic, cultural, social and morale impact of such a move? Meanwhile Dublin is to be left as 4 separate local authorities for no good reason.
- Why has no effort been made to differentiate between effective, efficient and successful councils and other less effective councils?
- Why are Councillors to be removed from the planning process even further by the removal of their powers under Section 140. Section 140 is the provision whereby Councillors have the last say over the Executive and is an important piece of legislation which ensures that local government is not solely the purview of unelected officials?
- Do you not agree that this is a plan of budget cuts, a reduction of local democracy on a scale never seen in a modern European nation and a further centralisation of local government?
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