Abolition of town councils bemoaned by Mayo councillor
By Tom Gillespie
THE abolition of town councils a decade ago has resulted in the loss of specific budgets for towns like Castlebar, Ballina and Westport.
Instead, funds raised in these centres, through car parking charges, etcetera, are now allocated for projects anywhere in the county.
The matter has been highlighted by Councillor Michael Kilcoyne, the outgoing cathaoirleach of the Castlebar Municipal District (MD).
He complained: “One of our biggest disappointments is the fact that the town councils are gone because that means that there is no longer a budget specifically for the towns of Castlebar, Ballina and Westport.
“Up until 10 years ago there was a budget specifically for these towns - a budget which looked after everything in the town. So now the money the public pay for car parking could be spent in Belmullet, Ballyhaunis or Ballinrobe. It is no longer ring-fenced for these towns.
“Likewise, the monies that came in to the towns for planning applications, development levies and rates, all of which were spent in the towns, are no longer spent in the towns. It is going into a general kitty, so the towns have no longer control over the money they used to take in.”
He continued: “Whether the people like it or not this is a downgrading of the towns, particularly the towns that had town councils. They had their own income and undertaking jobs like the bridge that was done at Lough Lannagh in Castlebar was done from car parking charges collected in the town. Now car parking charges collected in that town could be for a bridge anywhere in the whole county.
“That is a big disappointment and as time goes on it is only going to get worse and worse because there are heavy demands on the money that is available. Up until 10 years ago that money was ring-fenced for the towns.”
Councillor Kilcoyne went on: “The saddest thing of all is that the power has been transferred by central government from the elected representatives to the executive. The executive is unelected, many of whom are 60 years plus, and they never have to account to the people in terms of having to stand before the people and be elected.
“For example, when we were in the town council every planning application was examined by the members. Now we never see a planning application. The executive make the decisions on planning.
“There is no democracy in Ireland in terms of local government because we had the power under the old Section 140 to direct the manager to refuse planning permission and he would have no choice but to do it.
“Now we have no say in it. The power of the local representative is being eroded more and more and the power has been handed over to those unelected people.”
Councillor Kilcoyne thanked his six colleagues on the MD for electing him as cathaoirleach last year, and added: “It is a great honour. I have four years done as cathaoirleach in the district, which is 10 years old, two in the last term and two in this term.
“All seven councillors are committed to doing the best they can for the MD area, which is the same size as Co. Louth with a population of about 28,000.”
The breakdown of the councillors in the Castlebar MD district are three Fianna Fáil, three Fine Gael and Michael as an independent.
He added: “We work together as best we can. But we would have some differences of opinion on different things.”