Local election candidate for Fine Gael Peter Burke is calling for a reform of local government and the stopping of wasteful spending on unelected quangos.
According to the newly proposed Fine Gael plan, local government will become the primary driver of business support and development at local level. It will involve 95 State bodies being merged or abolished, saving millions of euros for taxpayers every year, and freezing local business rates for the next five years.
“Local Government is in limbo in Ireland, if not in crisis. Councils have been constantly sidelined when it comes to providing new services on a local level with central Government either providing services directly or devolving powers to an unelected agency or quango [quasi-autonomus non-government organisation],” said Mr Burke.
“This has weakened the position of local government and, more importantly, removed power from the local people.
“Fine Gael will change all that. These upcoming local elections is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the role and responsibility of local government. Our wide ranging reform policy proposes whole new structures for local government to give it a role in the most pressing policy area today: local business support and development.”
Fine Gael will also address failings in current services such as planning, environmental protection and housing in order to increase service provision and improve quality of live for citizens everywhere.
“This policy proposes to merge a number of local and national quangos into local government which will provide more coherent services to the people - while saving money,” he added.
“Further responsibility and democratic accountability will also allow council authorities to raise more finance locally but Fine Gael is also proposing new ethics policies to ensure the wasteful mistakes of the past are never repeated.”
