Should the candidate live in their constituency/ward?

[David Cochrane]

A question has just popped into my head arising from looking at another thread.

Question - should a candidate standing for election (or already elected) live in the constituency/local ward they are standing in/representing?

With respect to the General Election last year, there were many candidates for election who didn't live in the constituency they were standing in, and this bound to be the case in the Local Elections next year.

So, should it be an issue, and if so, should it be a pre-requisite condition to stand for election.

[locke]

I'm in two minds on this one. Part of me says that it's up to the citizens who they vote for. But against that I have one local councillor who doesn't even live in the right local authority (he lives in an area covered by Cork County Council, while sitting on the city council), never mind the right LEA, so you'd wonder how much he can understand or care about the problems of people in the area.

[seabhcan]

The information should be available but it should be up to the voters.

[odie1kanobe]

So you work on the assumption that because someone lives in an area they know more about an area ?

On that basis a lawyer living in Foxrock earning €1M a year will know more about the social problems within that constituency than someone living in the next constituency who is employed as a social worker in the area.

or

A Social worker who lives in Loughlinstown but works in Arklow, socialises in Arklow would know more about where she lives than a Solicitor who lives in Arklow but practises in Loughlinstown and spends lots of time in advice clinics.

[kerrynorth]

The information should be available but it should be up to the voters.

So would I. I think this is more of an issue for Cllrs than for TD's. Cllrs should certainly live in the area they are representing with many of the day to day charges and public services in everyday life now a matter for local government.

[locke]

You're going with extreme examples there. But to an extent, I think it's true. If you live in an area, you become aware of where people are congregating for anti-social behaviour, where the footpaths are in a bad state, where graffiti needs removing etc. You don't need to be told.

One way or the other, he doesn't have to live with the consequences of his decisions other than in terms of the next local elections.

[KingKane]

I would say no but they should be open about where they live. This is more of a problem in city wards. I'll take myself as an example, I lived on the opposite side of the road for the Artane/Clontarf boundary in 2004. So technically I lived outside the ward I ran in. But I was living and working at this end of the ward compared to some of the other candidates. So who was going to have the opportunity to be more familiar with the specific issues in the area, me the bloke who lived 50 yards the wrong side of the ward boundary or people who lived in the ward by just the same margin but were actually 2 miles away? As it turned out none of that mattered, but that's a decision that should be left for the voters.

[seabhcan]

Cllrs should certainly live in the area they are representing with many of the day to day charges and public services in everyday life now a matter for local government.

I probably wouldn't vote for a councillor who didn't live in the area, but I think it would be silly to ban them from standing.

[Heligoland]

What about Noel O'Gara? He'd have had to buy a load of houses

[Propforward]

I am in one mind on this - Of course it should be mandatory, and you should be in an area for say 5 years before you can go on a ticket - how can you represent an area locally or nationally unless you are living in the area?
How can you be aware of the local conditions, issues etc?
Having a representative living outside the community distances people from the government.

This does not serve the public interest.

the electorate should regulate this themselves but don't.

Living in the community makes you somewhat accountable and accessible. It also ensures that the government is made up of people from each constituency.