Local Government and the National Association of Councillors NI. 29 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Joint Meeting of the Association of Irish Local Government and the National Association of Councillors NI. 29th August 2018, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk.

Association

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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 AGM Officer Board x 3 & Executive Committee x 10 AILG 93 Plenary Delegates (31 x 3) AILG President/Vice President & Past President 31 LA’s – 949 Elected members AILG Audit Committee x 5 AILG Finance Committee x 5

AILG Office Resources Liam Kenny, Director Tom Moylan, Director ❖ HQ – Maynooth, Co. Kildare ❖ 2016 marked completion of organisational facets

• f 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 convey your message as a member of your Council through the media Peter O’Connell, Journalist & Lecturer in Journalism, UL Denise Canavan, Producer “Shannonside Northern Sound” radio. Module 2 May 2018 ‘Councillors & Community Safety’ – Joint Policing Committees and Presentation on “Use your Brain Not your Fists” Project (Leitrim Co. Co./Comhairle na nOg)

Cllr Mary Howard, Chair, Clare Co Co JPC & Cllr. Al McDonnell, PC and Chair, Mayo JPC Chief Supt. John Kerin & Supt. Joe McKenna, Ms Siofra Kilcullen, Mayo Co Co & Leonard 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 Planning and Building Control Management System Niamh McCarthy - LGMA 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 Briefing for Elected Members Paul Hogan, Alma Walsh, Colm McCoy & Niall 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 Members on Community Development initiatives - Urban and Rural Ms Deirdre Kelly & Ms Mary Byrne, Rural Schemes Unit, Dept. of Arts, Heritage, Regional & Rural Affairs Ms Clodagh McDonnell, Social Inclusion & Communities Unit, DHPCLG Module 3 June 2017 Commercial Rates, Rating Law, Valuations and Revaluations – A Briefing for Elected Members David Kelly, Local Government Finance & Paul 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 & Local Level. Mr Sean Hogan, Director of the National Fire & 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

2. Putting People First/LG Reform Act 2014 – The Elected Member’s role.

“One of the fundamental aims of the reform programme was to reaffirm the primacy of the elected members in the local government system and to examine the default provision which grants the executive power to act unless powers are specifically assigned to members”

Current Remuneration & Allowances – July 2018

• 1. Salary - Representational & MD Allowance (€17,891 Gross

p/annum)

• 2. Annual Un-Vouched Allowance - Average per Member is

€6,205

• 3. Office Holders Payments - Cathlaoirleach/Mayor's Allowance

p/annum - €20,000 - €50,000 per annum

• 4. Mobile Phone Allowance @ €600 pp p/annum or LA Mobile

Phone Plan

• 5. Conference Allowance @ €700 pp p/annum
• 6. Training Allowance p/annum – Ave Allocation €2,500 per

member