THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST n101 News Focus AUGUST 18 2013 BEHIND THE SCENES: inside the worlds of business, sport, politics and entertainment County councillors Johnny Healy-Rae, centre, pictured with his father Danny, right, and uncle Michael, Marianne Butler of the Greens in Dundalk NEWSFILE left, at the Kilgarvan Show DON MACMONAGLE Walking the Ireland’s county councillors are often caricatured as parish-pump pragmatists, sometimes fairly, sometimes not. But a huge new shake-up of local government is set to turn their world upside down. In a special report, Siobha´n Brett meets several prominent councillors and asks whether they and their colleagues are ready for what’s coming he most fundamental low buy-ins, resulting in ‘‘permanent changes in local gov- council tenants’’. Ambulance services are ernment in the history also now centralised out of Dublin, caus- of the state.’’ That was ing problems for constituents. Medical how environment min- cards are being checked out and recalled. ister Phil Hogan de- Siobha´n Brett The list is long.Educationgrants used to ‘Tscribed his proposed changes to Ireland’s be processed above the county council of- system of local government last year. fices; no more. Schools with fewer than 80 It was one of many claims made by Ho- pupils are under fire.The local Garda bar- gan.The political reforms, he announced, their small hands. racks is gone. Roads in the area aren’t would variously emphasise ‘‘accountabil- But Healy-Rae,who works in plant hire being maintained, constituents say, mean- ity as the bedrock of a functioning system (and tells how he is sometimes forced to ing that work they have overseen for years of local democracy’’, enable ‘‘pursuit of make trips by night to the Red Cow round- is being undone.Cul-de-sacs do not quali- the efficiency agenda’’ and yield savings about for parts that can’t be sourced in fy for roads programmes, which also gets for the exchequer of some e420 million. Kerry ^ ‘‘Try using the internet down to them. The shake-up is about to begin. here!’’), recently took a phone call from a ‘‘People appreciate the last half-mile of Next year, Ireland’s disparate array of friend in Australia who counted 26 people road to their house,’’ Healy-Rae says with 114 local authorities will be replaced by 31 from the Killorglin electoral area in a sin- fervour. ‘‘It’s very hard to explain to people city and county councils.This will involve a gle bar in Sydney. ‘‘I couldn’t count 26 that they will have to foot 20 per cent of substantial thinning out in some parts of people in a pub here of a Saturday night,’’ e50,000 when they’re paying every kind the country,but an increase in others, such he says sadly. ‘‘We’ve been badly hit by of taxand, in some cases, are being told as Dublin, which has been the subject of emigration.’’ that’s what the taxis for.’’ some criticism regionally. He intends to fund his local election The government summary of Putting Supporters of reform say that a well- campaign from his own pocket next year. People First says there will be ‘‘delegation oiled local authority structure can trans- ‘‘It’s competitive,’’ he says. ‘‘Dick Spring of greater responsibility in certain existing form the quality of life for communities, once won a seat by four votes here. My local authority functions inthe areas of en- reinvigorate democracy, and ^ by creating vironment, water, foreshore, community linkages between local taxes and services development, roads, housing and energy ^ impose reality on seemingly corrosive efficiency’’, with more power devolved to Rebecca Moynihan of Labour meets residents of Fatima Mansions in Dublin 8 demands. ‘There was never a local level, ‘‘closest to the people’’. How- Its detractors, meanwhile, say that a re- ever, Danny Healy-Rae, Johnny’s father ^ duction in the numbers of councillors will poor day.Things also a councillor ^ says that the opposite the most creative people in Irish life (this undermines the councillor’s ability to do is true. He sits in on the bench beside his happened last month); like the kind of per- the job they were elected to do. were always getting son, almost under his arm. son who would maintain a snappyTwitter But what effect is this likely to have on ‘‘IrishWater is a ploy by government to account, frequent the music festival circuit local government overall? For the past help the case to take water out of the Shan- and fashion her own skirts. few weeks, I’ve been trying to find out. I better, going up. non,’’ he says. ‘‘We have always had our But a councillor is what she is; a Labour have travelled the country,peering behind ownwater supplies, reservoirs and intakes. politician in Dublin’s South West inner the scenes in the idiosyncratic world of There was no such Now they want it under one umbrella to city.It is a demanding area.Althoughthere county councillors. Change is coming. sell to international companies.Tothink,’’ are many issues vying for Moynihan’s Are they ready for it? thing as anything he gasps, ‘‘that every pipe we laid through time, she has begun to prioritise a cam- every town over 90 years would be taken paign to build a park on a derelict site on going down’ away from us.’’ Chamber Street in Dublin 8. The site has ‘We’re being cut The Healy-Raes are unhappy at not been signed over by the housing section in down’ knowing who is in charge. ‘‘They’re erod- Dublin City Council to the economic de- ing our resources as well as our powers,’’ velopment department. It’s a case of park ’Reilly’s field, home to the Kil- Danny Healy-Rae continues. ‘‘There’s a or property. garvan Agricultural Show in divide appearing between Dublin and the ‘‘Dublin South Central has 14 hectares Co Kerry, is devoid of political east and funding in the west. We’re being of green space to our one ^ one single hec- O trappings ^ with the exception grandfather won his seat by 200 votes.’’ cut down here in Kerry, but they’re in- tare,’’ Moynihan says incredulously, as we of Michael Healy-Rae’s flat cap hovering Despite Healy-Rae’s independent can- creasing the amount of urban councillors drive past Oscar Square Park, which con- amid the crowds. Instead, it is filled with didacy,the family name has Fianna Fa¤ il le- up in Finglas.What’s going on?’’ tributes significantly to that hectare. As livestock, groomed dogs, tents housing gacy with some staying power. A third- the name suggests, it’s less of a park, more award-winning tarts, vegetables and fowl, generation public representative, Healy- of a square. It’s empty, but gangs of chil- pints, ponies, rosettes and trophies. Rae admits he finds the stubborn nature ‘It’s heavy on spin’ Barry Cowen: ‘unnerved’ by the new boundary changes PHOTOCALL dren cavort around the railings on bikes ‘‘Finian McGrath says it takes him 30 or of the partisan association ‘‘bizarre’’. and scooters. Moynihan has read up on 40 minutes to walk across his electoral ‘‘Yes, my grandfather was a Fianna Fa¤ il utting PR First’ was the the effect of parks on economic activity, area,’’ Johnny Healy-Rae says, drumming man, all his life, until 1997. He was there witty rejoinder that head- on the eventual increase in house prices the picnic bench we’re sitting at with his for the by-elections with the Blaneys. He lined Fianna Fa¤ il TD Barry tion of the state, suffered from duplication resulting and the wholesale knock-on. fingers. ‘‘For me to get to Inch Island, hard was a Haughey man. But I vote with my ‘P Cowen’s press release fol- ‘This legislation ^ 200 of the 1,600 council seats currently ‘‘The physical space becomes more driving, no stops, it would take an hour heart and my head,’’ he says. lowing the release of Hogan’s reform blue- in existence are both town and country pleasurable to negotiate, to be in. I think and a half.’’ ‘‘I’m aligned to no party, but the Fine print, Putting People First, last year. is an extension of council seats. and hope it [the proposal for the park] will The 27-year-old independent council- Gael gang will accuse us of being Fianna ‘‘The plan is heavy on rhetoric, it’s hea- ‘‘Getting rid of the scenario existing un- succeed.The council wants to sell it on for lor’s local electoral area is among the lar- Fa¤ il.The Fianna Fa¤ il lads don’t like us any vy on spin,’’ the Fianna Fa¤ il spokesman the government’s til the end of the dual mandate,whereTDs housing, but I reckon that would only get gest and most sparsely populated in the more.It has come uptime and time again ^ tells me. ‘‘It’s about cuts, not about reform. would be members of local authorities and e4 million, as a site,’’ she says, matter-of- country. He says some urban councillors whether we’d return ^ but we don’t take It disenfranchises councillors and centra- town and county councils, was a good factly. ‘‘We already have a surfeit of hous- could call to 160 houses in an evening.That decisions lightly.’’ lises power with the unelected. Also, show attitude to reform: idea,’’says Murphy,a memberof the Local ing in Dublin 8. Plus, they probably would take him two days. He pauses to speak with a passer-by. me legislation that gives effect to these Electoral Area Boundary Committee wouldn’t get development permission for ‘‘No place is left out,’’ he says.