Cork politicians would welcome return of town councils

A number of Cork politicians have said they would welcome the re-establishment of town councils across the county.

It comes following an interview with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Irish Examiner, in which he stated that he wants to see town councils re-established within three years; adding that there would have been a more immediate community response to floods in Midleton, if the local council had been in place.

Speaking to The Echo, Sinn Féin TD for Cork East Pat Buckley said that he would welcome the return of town councils.

“Yes, it would be a great opportunity to return to local democracy and also give the decision making back to local councils.

“Town councils were more assessable.

“Things happened a lot quicker. But also the town councils were staffed properly and better resourced. I do feel that water services should also be handed back to the council, we never had a 10 year boil water notice in East Cork when the local council looked after our water services.”

Cork North West Fine Gael TD John Paul O’Shea added: “If we re-establish town councils like they were, you would have the likes of Mallow reestablished and Fermoy. But then there is larger towns like Ballincollig and other areas that never had a town council. So there is a bit of work in terms of if we are to re-establish them, what is the criteria for reestablishing them.”

Social Democrats TD for Cork East, Liam Quaide, said that re-establishing town councils is definitely worth considering, but how that is done should be the crucial consideration. 

"We urgently need to strengthen local democracy.

“However, if town councils are restored they can’t be reduced to mere talking shops or amount to another layer of bureaucracy. They must have strong powers and sufficient resources, or they will be ineffective.”

Independent councillor Peter O’Donoghue added: “The abolishment of the country’s town councils was a major mistake. It should never have happened.”

Pádraig Rice, Social Democrats TD for Cork South Central said: “The Social Democrats have long called for local government to be strengthened and the re-establishment of town councils could be part of that reform, if resourced properly.

"However, any proposal to re-establish town councils must be more than a symbolic gesture. They should have real powers and adequate funding to effect real change in their local communities."