Green Party: local government reform proposalsThe Greens are aiming to triple their tally of local government seats in the elections on June 11th, the party said yesterday.
The party yesterday published proposals to reform local government, which, it said, was necessary to restore public confidence in the system.
Measures proposed included the appointment of public accounts committees in each local authority, and the establishment of a local government ombudsman.
Cork TD Mr Dan Boyle said the party was hoping to increase the number of local seats it holds to 40-50 from 15 at present. This would constitute a "great result" for the party, he said.
The Greens are fielding about 150 candidates in the local elections. They are contesting seats in every county except Sligo, Cavan and Monaghan.
At a press conference yesterday, Mr Boyle said Green Party supporters should transfer their votes against the Government but declined to specify the parties to whom such transfers should be directed.
The reform document said power should be transferred away from county and city managers. It also called for the dismantling of legislation - such as the Waste Management Act, 2001 - which was "designed to hamper the exercise of local decision-making by public representatives".
It went on: "To ensure that there will be no return to the abuses of local power, as in planning decisions, we are also supportive of a new system of checks and balances, including the institution of a local government ombudsman."
Claiming that public confidence in the planning system had been replaced with cynicism, the party said a local government ombudsman should monitor planning decisions by local authorities.
The document repeated a number of ideas first mooted in its Reinventing Democracy document, published last October.
These included a call to lower the minimum voting age in local elections to 16, and proposals for the establishment of regional assemblies.
Such assemblies would govern health, education, social welfare, transport and other functions in administrative areas based on the European Parliament constituencies.
Cllr Kealin Ireland, a candidate in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, said she had encountered many voters who were "completely cynical" about the planning process.
She called for guarantees to ensure that local development plans with large-scale affordable housing commitments were initiated and completed within the lifespan of each elected council.
Cllr Deirdre de Burca, a candidate in Wicklow, said the lowering of the minimum voting age was aimed at encouraging young people to become involved in political life as early as possible in their lives.
"Planning scandals have undermined peoples' trust in decision-making," she said.
To encourage transparency, the minutes from all council meetings should be published on the Internet and council meetings themselves should be broadcast on the Internet.
Cllr Ryan Meade, a candidate in Rathmines, called for the introduction of a system to directly elect mayors in local authorities.
