Dublin Bay South – Pembroke
Councillor Dermot Lacey
Dear Editor,
Your correspondent Andrew Quinn (16th August) suggests that the Minister for Finance might request a former Mayor of a French or German city to take charge of restoring O’Connell Street to its former glory. I have a simpler suggestion. How about enabling the existing Lord Mayor of Dublin and elected Council the powers to do the job? Of course that would mean the Ministers and Mandarins surrendering power and that of course would never do.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Dermot Lacey
Dear Editor,
Your article on the Limerick Mayor regulations (August 4th) is deeply disturbing. Firstly, the emphasis on the salary. To be honest anyone who seeks the job of a directly elected Mayor for the salary, is the very last person who should have it.
But the biggest concern I have, is the Government interference in the staff of any such Mayor. Either independent directly elected Mayors are provided for or they are not. Whether they have one or one hundred staff should be of no concern to the three Government Departments who have done most damage to Local Government in Ireland; Finance, DPER and of course the Department of Housing and Local Government.
The issue of staff should be decided by the elected Council and the elected Councillors who will be responsible for the Budget.
But the biggest irony is that these Government Ministers and Departments with more Advisors and Officials than ever before have the gall to tell a newly directly Elected Mayor that they can appoint one Advisor and four existing staff members from the Local Authority shows the real intent of the temporary and permanent Government.
I know, having held the role of Lord Mayor of Dublin, that this “National” imposition on Limerick is designed to limit the role , not empower it. I wish the Limerick citizens well. But do not let those in power at National level destroy the democratic dream.
Yours sincerely,
Dermot Lacey
Dear Editor,
Aidan Roddy (letters 23rd June) asks “Is our Government slowly shifting influence away from our Public Representatives to a plethora of Citizens Assemblies”? Sadly it is, in fact far worse than that. Over the last couple of decades, but accelerated in recent years, the governance of Ireland has effectively been transferred to a plethora of largely unaccountable Quangos that have huge powers over our lives and the running of Irish society. This must be stopped. The best way to do so is an empowered and accountable system of Local Government. Why don’t we try it.
Yours sincerely
Dermot Lacey
Dear Editor,
The suggestion by your correspondent, John Thompson (letters 16th June) that the role of the Department of Housing is to “develop master plans for the construction of housing on State lands etc” is touching, but far from the reality. Some of your readers will probably also think that the Department is committed to its other role …the delivery of Local Government. Sadly we know how that is so untrue also.
Yours sincerely,
Dermot Lacey
Letter to The Irish Times Editor – 14th June 2023
The Editor,
Letters Page,
The Irish Times.
Dear Editor,
Straight up, Dublin City needs an, expanded cleansing programme. However, when your correspondent Rory J. Whelan (letters 14th June) refers to Copenhagen and the lack of a litter problem there he and your readers need to compare like with like. In Denmark approximately 65% of Public Expenditure is through Local Government. Here it is less than 8% . In addition, thanks to the antics of the Anti-Bin Tax Brigade ( which simply saw Bin Charges transferred to the unaccountable private companies) all powers relating to waste/litter was transferred to the Executive. If we want Local Government to act as it does in most modern Countries we need to transfer to it the power and resources to do so and to enable the Councillors who should hold the Executive to account the means to do that too.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Dermot Lacey
Dear Editor,
Your Editorial “Budget lines are drawn” states that “The opening of the National Economic Dialogue gives all the budget stakeholders…an opportunity to set out their stall”. Of course it does no such thing. Local Government which is one of the biggest employers in the Country and the bodies often charged with implementing the outcomes of these sort of talks will not be represented.
This despite a commitment from Minister Paschal Donoghue to me in writing two years ago that the matter would be reviewed.
In a current Draft Report on Ireland from the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities it states critically “Ireland still lacks a formalised and regular process for central government consultations with local government on matters that concern them directly”. The NED would only be a crumb in that regard. But given the impact of NED discussions such a crumb would indeed be welcome and better than the nothing on offer.
Yours sincerely,
Dermot Lacey
