Local government has been allowed to "wither on the vine" over the last two decades because of an unwillingness on the part of central Government to provide adequate funding to local authorities, the Impact union has claimed.
However, it has also told its members working for local authorities they had a duty to deliver the better services now being demanded by the public.
The chair of Impact's local government division, Michael McCabe, told delegates at the opening of the union's biennial conference in Waterford last night that the professional delivery of services was paramount.
"We must remain open for business and deliver the service so that we get a name for delivering. That is the best way of protecting and preserving decent local services and the people who deliver them." If the current local authority structures could not meet the challenge "somebody else" would. However, management, councillors and community groups needed to work with the union's members to rebuild underfunded local democracy.
Mr McCabe said despite the social, economic, and political advances that social partnership had delivered over the last two decades, he was "saddened" that local government and local democracy had been prevented from reaping the full benefits of this progress.
"Central governments of all political complexions have been content to see local democracy wither on the vine of under-funding and overcentralised control," he said.
Those working in local authorities and at local government level who ignored the new demands of a more prosperous society and better-educated public would do so at their peril.
"When our communities demand new services, perhaps delivered in different ways, we have to listen and act on what we hear. The old arrogance, too often associated with public services, was never acceptable. These days, it simply won't be tolerated."
Union members who had delivered "massive change" in recent years must continue in this vein if they were to retain the confidence and support of the public.
"We must stay focused on the customer, otherwise the customer will question our relevance when the ideologically motivated critics attack us."
It was only through such vigilance that the new structures and gains achieved under the Better Local Government reform package would not be lost.
Impact is staging two conferences in Waterford city today and tomorrow.
Its local government, education and local services division conference opened last night and continues until tomorrow. The division has 14,000 members.
Its services and enterprises division conference opens at noon today and continues tomorrow. The division represents more than 6,000 workers in, among others, Aer Lingus, Eircom, Coillte, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Dublin Airport Authority.