Phil Hogan to scrap all Town Councils. Number of County Councils to be reduced.

[LDF]

That is surely a matter for the people who elect these councillors. Hogan wants to take away their democratic right to do so. Reform, not abolition is what is required.

774 town councillors "earning" €16,724 per annum before expenses. There's also the slight problem that they don't actually do anything and are completely unnecessary.

The only reform worth discussing is abolition.

[edwin]

That is surely a matter for the people who elect these councillors. Hogan wants to take away their democratic right to do so. Reform, not abolition is what is required.

Those same people elect the government to make large strategic decisions on their behalf. Large bureaucracies for towns of a couple of thousand people are inherently wasteful and reform is meaningless.

[Toland]

774 town councillors "earning" €16,724 per annum before expenses. There's also the slight problem that they don't actually do anything and are completely unnecessary.

The only reform worth discussing is abolition.

Hear, hear.

They were nothing more than an inter-party source of pork belly.

[LDF]

First result from a quick google:

The Southern Star Newspaper - Co Cork, Ireland

A few paragraphs down it refers specifically to a FF proposal and document. I'm pretty sure it was in the manifesto but I'm sure you can check it yourself.

That link states that FF wanted to replace 80 TC's with 50 District Councils. What was the point in that? The Mail story states that Hogan specifically rejected that proposal when it was presented to him by his dept officials. He wanted to go much further and it seems he has.

[greengoose2]

Did the OP get to page 10 yet. There are more "savings" reported there. There is some fine reading in that article...

Another FG non story. Get rid of the junior ministers and 50% of the useless TDs and there is a good start to *cough* reform!

[Tony Soprano]

town councillors get paid a pittance. If ye are going to make arguments about money etc, at least have your facts right!!!

[Fractional Reserve]

What we need is to get rid of 50% of the government and hand back power to councils and get a bit of real democracy and accountability.Less of this buying votes ,hiding and running when things get tough .Have the public reps so that they live in the community and have to meet people on a daily basis and account for there actions head on .The more power taken by central planners the worse it becomes.

According to The Irish Daily Mail on Sunday Minister Phil Hogan is set to undertake a "radical reform of the local authority system" which will lead to the closure of all 80 town councils. There are currently 774 councillors serving on TC's.

Minister Hogan will also amalgamate some County Councils. The reforms will lead to savings worth hundreds of millions to the exchequer according to the story.

This is why I voted for FG. The local authority system has been a financial black hole for many years and has been crying out for reform. It would have been politically expedient for FG (the most dominant party in local government) to continue with the current system. I'm not sure FF would have undertook these reforms under the same circumstances.

There's no link available to the story.

[Luachara]

According to The Irish Daily Mail on Sunday Minister Phil Hogan is set to undertake a "radical reform of the local authority system" which will lead to the closure of all 80 town councils. There are currently 774 councillors serving on TC's.

Minister Hogan will also amalgamate some County Councils. The reforms will lead to savings worth hundreds of millions to the exchequer according to the story.

This is why I voted for FG. The local authority system has been a financial black hole for many years and has been crying out for reform. It would have been politically expedient for FG (the most dominant party in local government) to continue with the current system. I'm not sure FF would have undertook these reforms under the same circumstances.

There's no link available to the story.

80 town managers and administrations can be dispensed with with the end of Dual local Authority administration by town and county councils over the same area

The Town Councillors are costing a lot of money with RP payments starting at almost €5K rising for bigger towns. Add travel expenses, subsistance expenses overnight expenses, plus what they hoover sitting on bodies like the VECS local health forum, regional authorities etc and thay are riding the system.

[LDF]

Did the OP get to page 10 yet. There are more "savings" reported there. There is some fine reading in that article...

Another FG non story. Get rid of the junior ministers and 50% of the useless TDs and there is a good start to *cough* reform!

You missed Page 2 GG and the billions in savings this government will announce with a deal on Anglo Promissory Notes.

I don't think the gentleman you referred to should have got a salary which breached the pay ceiling but I think you need to put things into prespective. Show some common sense.

[shannonBlueShirt]

Great news let's hope he merges the county councils into regional councils...

Clare, the two limericks and TIPP north would be a good size region