County Councillors To Get More Powers Under Local Government Reforms

Local councillors are set to get new powers under changes to be made to the local democracy system.

The Government has published a Local Democracy Taskforce Report and Implementation Plan to strengthen the work of representatives around the country.

The plan will see the roles of the Municipal Councils expanded to strengthen Strategic Policy Committees and improve councillors' influence over local budgets.

New governance and oversight structures will also be brought in to hold the system to account in a more streamlined way.

Statutory response timeframes for councillor representations are also on the way so that any complaints or issues raised will be answered by state bodies in a more timely manner.

Meanwhile, the report also supports plans to return the money collected through the upcoming derelict sites tax to local authorities.

From next year, Revenue will collect the penalty imposed on a derelict site owner, taking this process away from county councils.

However, the report states "Local authorities should be the beneficiaries of such taxation measures, with the revenue ring-fenced to address the objectives of the measure."

The Association of Irish Local Government and the Local Authority Members Association have welcomed the moves, calling it a landmark day for local democracy.

Earlier, Local Government Minister James Browne said these changes will be in place by the next local elections in 2029.

A review of local boundaries will also be carried out before that election, allowing for the possibility of more councillors per district going forward.

That report was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.