Mayo councillors warn that Town Council reinstatement could deepen urban-rural divide
In a recent interview, the Taoiseach suggested that, due to changing population patterns, Ireland could consider re-establishing town councils or creating new ones.
However, councillors in the Claremorris and Swinford Municipal District remain sceptical about the idea.
There are worries over deepening the urban rural divide through the creation of a two-tier system of Government in some Mayo towns.
The debate on town councils came forward during discussions on a Public Realm Enhancement Scheme for The Neale Village, proposed under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). Part eight of the development was passed during the meeting.
Councillors praised everyone involved in progressing the scheme, which, if successful in securing TVRS funding, could receive up to €500,000 in investment.
Councillor Damien Ryan who proposed adopting part eight said: “To support the application for town and village renewal in Neale is exemplary of how a municipal district can work.”
Cllr Ryan, a member of the new Local Government Taskforce tasked with reforming and strengthening local government, argued that if town councils were truly effective, they would not have been abolished.
“You can’t have a two-tier system of local government in Ireland. It has to be all inclusive where rural and urban are treated the same. Town councils versus municipal districts is a non-event, I don't think that should even be considered.”
The Ballinrobe councillor supports strengthening municipal districts rather than restoring town councils. He advocates for further devolution of funding and power to these districts.
“You reinforce the municipal districts through finance, power and through the central budget being more devolved. That needs to come through an act of the Oireachtas. I've put forward a scenario where we need to consider 10pc of the central budget to go to the respective municipal districts, that’s not a big ask,
“It’s not the restoration of town councils that will impact on the issues happening in our towns. It’s the devolution of finance and the devolution of power.”
Before their abolition in 2014, Mayo had three town councils, in Westport, Castlebar and Ballina. The introduction of municipal districts balanced political representation by giving Claremorris and Swinford their own councillors.
Councillors warn that restoring town councils in larger areas could concentrate power, resources and funding there, leaving rural areas like Claremorris and Swinford with less influence.
“You can’t have a situation where you have a two-tier government in some towns and one-tier government in Claremorris. If that decision is going to be made you have to change the criteria and ensure that Claremorris would have its own town council to have a level playing field throughout the county,” said Cllr Gerry Murray
He added that serious consideration is being given to returning town councils but argued that no municipal district should be left without a two-tier system. This would require adjusting the population threshold to accommodate new town councils.
Cllr Neil Cruise said that Claremorris and Swinford councillors supporting a reinstatement of town councils is like “a turkey supporting Christmas”. He argued that they have one of the largest municipal districts in the country and it works very well, referring to the Neale Village Enhancement Scheme as an example.
“All you need to do is strengthen the municipal districts and everybody gets a fair crack at the whip,” he stated.
Cllr Richard Finn agreed, saying the success of the Enhancement Scheme and TVRS in Mayo reflects the strength of the municipal district system, calling it “one of the smartest moves made in local politics.”
“Cllr Ryan is on the committee in relation to this, I hope he goes back and brings the message that people in the west of Ireland do not support town councils due to the fact that it will reduce the amount of funding coming to municipal areas,
“We won’t be getting the privilege of a town council in the Claremorris Swinford municipal area. There’s only three areas that it can benefit. We are rural councillors, we fight daily for the rural community towns and villages. We are fighting for the west of Ireland.”
This article was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.