LIMITS ON political spending have been set at €15,000 for county council candidates and at half of that figure for borough and town councillors by Minister for the Environment John Gormley. These are considerable sums, given the traditional voluntary nature of the job.
Councillors are now generously reimbursed for their activities and their role in planning, development and rezoning has given them considerable economic power. The position has become so sought-after that, five years ago, one Dublin candidate is said to have spent more than €80,000 on his election campaign.
There is an urgent need to reform local government, in view of the planning abuses and the corruption that has taken place at all levels. Mr Gormley has pledged to introduce legislation at an early stage. But the area is something of a minefield, given the general lack of accountability of city and county managers; the resistance of some politicians and the administrative secrecy that goes with the turf. Small abuses are endemic, such as the unethical use of Oireachtas envelopes. The web of sleaze that connects some politicians at Dáil, Seanad and council levels is well illustrated by the illegal use of pre-paid envelopes at election time and the refusal by Oireachtas members to end the practice.
Political self-deception that helped to create an unsustainable property bubble and severely damaged the economy has also affected local government. Five years ago, a report commissioned by a Fianna Fáil-led government found councils would not be able to sustain services because of their narrow income base. A shortfall of about €1 billion was predicted by 2010. Sounds familiar? The government’s response was to bin the report and to rely on a motor tax fund for additional spending. Unlike all other EU countries, Ireland has no local domestic, income or sales tax. We have the second-lowest service charges. It cannot continue.
European and local elections will be held on Friday, June 5th. But the winners of the final seats and the performances of the various parties will not become known until the following week. The results will shape the face of Irish politics for years to come. Whatever about that, successful councillors can look forward to an uncomfortable time. They will have no option but to introduce new forms of funding, if existing services and employment levels are to be maintained. Public resistance to such taxes may be contained if citizens are included in the decision-making process and given up-to-date information on projects and development plans.