Joint Meeting of the Association of Irish Local Government and the National Association of Councillors NI. 29 th August 2018, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk.
Association of Irish Local Government
GCCC – 1899 (General Council of County Councils) AMAI – 1912 (Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland ACCC – 2007 (Association of County and City Councils) AILG – 2014 (Association of Irish Local Government)
AILG President/Vice President & Past President AILG AGM AILG Audit Committee x Officer Board x 3 & AILG Finance Committee 5 Executive Committee x x 5 10 AILG 93 Plenary Delegates (31 x 3) 31 LA’s – 949 Elected members
AILG Office Resources Liam Kenny, Director Tom Moylan, Director ❖ HQ – Maynooth, Co. Kildare ❖ 2016 marked completion of organisational facets of merger
Main Services delivered by AILG • Policy & Research Development & Presentation – Underpinning role of elected members within the local government system • Scrutinising of legislation and national policy (GDPR) • Training & Education for Elected Members • Networking and Communication for Councillors • Meetings, Deputations, Presentations • Engagement with other bodies • General Representation to Members (help, advice & guidance) • Administration, Compliance & Accounting (high level of compliance requirements) • Congress of Local & Regional Authorities in Europe (C.L.R.A.E)
• More than 1,400 - 1,500 attendances at Training Events organised by the AILG • Over 700 attendances to Annual Conference & Autumn Seminar • Service delivered to over 2,900 members in 2017 • Policy inputs on a wide variety of areas including Coastal Planning, Flooding, Governance & Ethics, Members Terms & Conditions, Housing, Planning, Emergency Planning, Brexit, Irish Water, Roads • Scrutinising national legislation – Public Sector Standards Bill, Planning & Development Amendment Act etc. • Organised a full programme of Plenary meetings, conferences, and other events at which councillors from all parts of the country were facilitated in exchanging knowledge on current issues • Maintaining a high level of communication with elected members including website www.ailg.ie; broadcast email bulletins, training information & presentations, newsletters and printed conference/seminar brochures
AILG Delegation Meets Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD
AILG ‘In Service’ Member Training Analysis 2018 Modules 1 – 6 (Feb – Nov 2018) Module Date Subject Speakers Module 1 Feb 2018 Councillors & Journalists – How best to Peter O’Connell, Journalist & Lecturer in convey your message as a member of your Journalism, UL Council through the media Denise Canavan, Producer “Shannonside Northern Sound” radio. Cllr Mary Howard, Chair, Clare Co Co JPC & Cllr. Module 2 May 2018 ‘Councillors & Community Safety’ – Joint Al McDonnell, PC and Chair, Mayo JPC Policing Committees and Presentation on Chief Supt. John Kerin & Supt. Joe McKenna, “Use your Brain Not your Fists” Project Ms Siofra Kilcullen, Mayo Co Co & Leonard (Leitrim Co. Co./Comhairle na nOg) Cleary, Clare Co Co Mr Pat Forde, North Connacht Youth Services, Mr Martin Donoghue, Comhairle na nÓg & Ms. Suzanne Duffy, Leitrim County Council. Module 3 June 2018 Irish Water and a Single Public Water Utility Eamon Gallen, John Dempsey, John O’Donoghue, Peter Gallagher, Duane O’Brien, Maeve Bourke – Irish Water Module 4 Sept 2018 Briefing for Elected Members on On-Line Niamh McCarthy - LGMA Planning and Building Control Management System Module 5 Oct 2018 GDPR Module 6 Nov 2018
AILG ‘In Service’ Member Training Analysis 2017 Modules 1 – 6 (Feb – Nov 2017) Module Date Subject Speakers Module 1 Feb 2017 National Planning Framework Ireland 2040 - A Paul Hogan, Alma Walsh, Colm McCoy & Niall Briefing for Elected Members Cussen NPF Project Managers & Planning Advisers NPF, DHPLG Denis Kelly, Ass/Director NWRA, Liam McGree, Ass/ Director Southern Assembly & Malachy Bradley, Assistant Director EMRA Module 2 May 2017 From Plans to Action - A Briefing for Elected Ms Deirdre Kelly & Ms Mary Byrne, Rural Members on Community Development initiatives - Schemes Unit, Dept. of Arts, Heritage, Regional & Urban and Rural Rural Affairs Ms Clodagh McDonnell, Social Inclusion & Communities Unit, DHPCLG Module 3 June 2017 Commercial Rates, Rating Law, Valuations and David Kelly, Local Government Finance & Paul Revaluations – A Briefing for Elected Members Lemass, Asst. Secretary, DHPLG John O’Sullivan, Commissioner of Valuation, Declan Lavelle, Head of Valuation Services & Terry Fahey, Managing Valuer, Valuation Office Module 4 Sept 2017 Elected Member Mental Health & Well-being Cllr Pio Smith, Ba(Hons) Psychology, Cllr Breda Gardner, Kilkenny Co. Co., Cllr. Shane P. O’Reilly, Cavan Co. Co. & Cllr. Jason Murphy, Waterford City & Co. Co. Module 5 Oct 2017 National Public Library Strategy 2018-2022 Paul Geraghty, Libraries Development, DRCD Eileen Davey, Libraries Development DRCD Donal Tinney, Sligo County Librarian Mary Stuart, Offaly County Librarian Module 6 Nov 2017 Co-ordination of Weather Emergencies at National Mr Sean Hogan, Director of the National Fire & & Local Level. Emergency Management Directorate Dr Gerald Fleming, Head of Forecasting Met Eireann Gerard Murphy, Met Eireann
1. Putting People First/LG Reform Act 2014 – A Quick Overview Local Government Restructuring – key changes ➢ Regional Changes – new configuration of regions proposed and all counties having to adapt to this (move from 8 Regional Authorities/2 Regional Assemblies to 3 Regional Assemblies) ➢ Merger of some counties into one LA, North & South Tipperary, Limerick City/County & Waterford City/County (34 County & City LA reduced to 31) ➢ Abolition of the 80 Town/Borough Councils and replacement with 95 Municipal Districts/Borough Districts/Metropolitan Districts (representing 137 LEA) ➢ Reduction in no. of councillors throughout the state – 1,627 to 949 (over 40%) – over 33% in real terms
1. Putting People First/LG Reform Act 2014 – A Quick Overview Local Government Restructuring – key changes ➢ Transfer of Water and Waste Water Services from Local Authorities to Irish Water ➢ County Enterprise Offices merging with Business Support Unit in Local Authorities – Local Enterprise Office (LEO) ➢ Alignment process of Local Government with Local Development Partnerships ➢ Winding down of the County Development Boards and its “replacement” with LCDC structure ➢ Community engagement to be given a stronger voice with new structures – PPN’s (Public Participation Network) ➢ Setting up of National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) - Oversee how national local government policy is implemented by local government bodies and scrutinise performance of any local government body against relevant indicators .
2. Putting People First/LG Reform Act 2014 – The Elected Member’s role. ➢ Members are in the first instance elected to the Municipal District thence to the local authority. ➢ MD is not a separate LA but a statutory (S22 A and S22 B) decision-making body that is a local manifestation of the LA, i.e. MD is a platform for localised decision-making. ➢ Provision for reserved functions at both municipal level and plenary level (County/City) with a default set of functions to be delivered at both levels spelt out in Schedule 3 to the legislation ➢ The members will be enabled at county level to determine further devolution of functions to the municipal district level, in effect reversing the existing trend of migrating services up to the County ➢ Local regulatory functions are the responsibility of the municipal districts with the determination of policy been done at plenary level. ➢ Consistency of policy between municipal and plenary levels
2. Putting People First/LG Reform Act 2014 – The Elected Member’s role. ➢ CPG & SPC’s – Including new Economic Development SPC – LEO’s ➢ Adoption of Annual Budget with greater enhanced role in budgeting & finance function of the LA ▪ Set Budget Strategy ▪ Variation of LPT +/- 15% ▪ Commercial Vacancy Refunds ▪ Consider MD Budgetary Plans (GMA) – Reserved Function ▪ Consider Schedule of MD Works – Reserved Function ➢ Adoption of County Development Plan/District Plan/Local Area Plan ➢ Local Community Development Committees – LCDC’s
2. Putting People First/LG Reform Act 2014 – The Elected Member’s role. ➢ Approval of Local Economic & Community Plan – LCDC & LEO’s ➢ Management of the SICAP (Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme) through LCDC ➢ New provision in 2014 Act for Chief Executive to prepare monthly management reports for LA/Elected Member ▪ Report will set out the performance of the Chief Executive’s executive functions during the preceding month. ▪ Report will include report on implementation of policy or other matters required by the Council in the exercise of its reserved functions and the provision of services by the Council ➢ New framework for greater public engagement and participation – PPN ➢ Ethics, Declaration of Interests & Code of Conduct
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