Local government

“While there tends to be much media interest in the issue of expenses claimed for this work, local councillors in fact play a vital role in bringing a local democratic imprimatur to these organisations.”

 
Dr Muiris Mac Carthaigh

WITH the local elections over, and the political composition of 114 local authorities for the next five years decided, focus has already turned to the election of mayors and the chairmanship of the various strategic policy committees that are now a feature of local authority life.
Local government in Ireland is such that the powers available to those chosen will be relatively limited. These are nevertheless influential positions within the authorities, and will thus be hotly contested by aspiring local politicians.
Each local authority has the right of appointment to several such bodies of which there are two main types: a small number (such as local hospitals or third-level institutions) which are specific to each local authority area; and others that are replicated across the country in different geographical areas.
Many of the latter are almost as old as the state itself.  The Vocational Education Committees have played an integral role in secondary education since 1930 and Harbour Commissions actually predate the state. As has been the experience with agencies at national level, however, there has been a considerable increase in the number of sub-national bodies in Ireland in the course of the last two decades.  Drawing on a study undertaken by the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) in 2007 the OECD review of the Irish public service noted that about 80% of local and regional agencies have been created since 1990. 
Rather than taking functions from local authorities, many of these new bodies have assumed new functions.  
Europe has also played a role; the eight regional authorities and two regional assemblies are inspired by EU regional policy and coordinate the work of adjoining local authorities (especially in relation to planning).  LEADER groups were also inspired by EU-funded initiatives for rural development.  Other regional bodies include the Regional Tourism Development Boards and the Regional Fisheries Boards. 
The formal relationship between these local and regional agencies and local authorities is complex.  In many cases, city and county councils are obliged to consult and engage with local agencies before taking action in different policy areas.  More directly, as noted earlier, local councillors are appointed on behalf of their local authorities to the boards and governing authorities of these agencies.  While there tends to be much media interest in the issue of expenses claimed for this work, local councillors in fact play a vital role in bringing a local democratic imprimatur to these organisations by providing a direct link with their respective local authority.  The IPA’s study indicates that, when all governing board appointments are combined, over a third of the memberships are comprised of local councillors.  Some local councillors are also appointed to large commercial enterprises such as port companies.
In the context of economic contraction and concerns about duplication and incoherence within the system of local public administration, a pendulum swing has begun towards a greater integration of these bodies.  A recent initiative, for example, has sought to provide a more coherent structure for LEADER groups and Partnership companies.  Harbour authorities are currently in the process of having their functions transferred to local authorities and port companies.  The rate of contraction has been slowed with the new joint policing committees at local level.  As with national-level agencies, however, all must now justify their continued existence in the complex world of Irish local government.

Dr Muiris MacCarthaigh works at the Institute of Public Administration and is author of ‘Government in Modern Ireland’.  This article draws on the findings of a study published by the IPA titled ‘The Corporate Governance of Regional and Local Public Service Bodies in Ireland’.