Alignment - For and Against

IN FAVOUR: “This document represents a fundamental re-imagining of the system and it sees local government leading economic, social and community development… Unlike many previous reform documents, this Programme sets out firm decisions by Government rather than proposals for discussion.”

- Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan.

OPPOSED: “While we recognise the need for stronger and more accountable local government, we caution against any attempt to subsume community-led local development bodies into local authorities.”

- 21 academics writing in the Irish Times.

IN FAVOUR: “It is evident that the existing arrangements for local development are administratively burdensome and do not lend themselves to joined-up, integrated service delivery, having evolved from a disjointed national approach to local service delivery. Central government, by establishing multiple structures for service delivery at local level has, to a large extent, by-passed local government and undermined the democratic process at local level. ”

- Final Report of the Local Government/Local Development Alignment Steering Group.

OPPOSED: “They’ve already torn the bottom out of it.”

- CEO of a local development company who requested anonymity.

IN FAVOUR: “The contention that 2,000 jobs will be lost and that 20 years of experience in the planning and delivery of local development programmes will be lost is quite simply untrue.”

- Áine Collins, Fine Gael TD                 

OPPOSED: “They need to build it from the ground up. Generally, top-down policies haven’t worked for communities and are too weak.”

- Maria Power, community consultant based in Youghal, Co. Cork.