Minister visits Drogheda ahead of council review
DROGHEDA is likely to benefit from any changes brought about following a government review of the local government system.
Minister of State for Local Government and Electoral Reform John Paul Phelan visited Drogheda last week to meet with local represenatives and members of the Drogheda City Status group.
Speaking during his visit to Drogheda last Tuesday, his first since taking up his role three weeks ago, Minister Phelan said if changes were to be made it would be like Drogheda would be one of the areas where it would be implemented.
During his visit, the Minister met with local TD Fergus O’Dowd and local representatives Deputy Mayor Richie Culhane, Cllr Oliver Tully and Drogheda Young Fine Gael Chairperson Garret O’Dowd.
‘I decided it would be a good idea to come down and see what the Drogheda story is,’ he said. ‘You can’t beat asking people locally what they think as well as the councillors and the those doing business in the town.’ It was announced last year that the Department of the Environment and Local Government will carry out a review of its 2014 reform of local government. Minister Phelan said he expected that review to be finished around March or April next year. He said it was unclear as of yet what, if any, changes will be brought in once the review is complete.
‘Some people want a full restoration of the system that was there previously, others want it completely modified from what was there before and some believe very strongly that the current system should be left, which was brought in in advance of the last local election. That the town council’s shouldn’t return so this document is going to be the internal review of the structures that were brought in in advance of the last local election.’
Asked wheter the reforms were a mistake, Minister Phelan said: ‘Drogheda is a bad example in the sense that it is a very big town. There were a lot of very small places where 30 or 40 votes got you a seat on a town council and you know they were a hangover if you like from the 1899 Local Government Act when towns of a certain size were given town councils but Ireland has changed a lot in the intervening hundred and twenty years.
He agreed that as the biggest town in Ireland, if changes are recommended Drogheda will be one the places where change will be implemented.
‘It is the largest town in Ireland, there are over 40,000 people here, if there is going to be any sort of change it will be felt in Drogheda but it’s unclear yet, I don’t want to build up people’s hopes too much in the sense that I’m only in the job two weeks and I’m kind of feeling my way around but I think that’s part of the reason why Fergus brought me here.’
Welcoming the Minister to Drogheda, Deputy O’Dowd said: ‘John Paul obviously can’t pre-judge what’s in the report but this is significant, it’s his first visit outside of his own consituency. We’re making a very strong case to him here for having city status, for having the return of the council, for having it returned to local power, for accountability locally for the 41,000 population we have,’ he said.
‘So obviously the powers, if they are restored would be a matter for the legislation and I think our job is to persuade the political system first of all and then the administrative system of what the people want. That’s our role and I’m delighted that John Paul has come here. Wee’ll be pushing very hard.
‘If you compare the population of Drogheda to Waterford there’s only a 7,000 gap in the population so we have none of the infrastructure, we have none of the administrative system, we have none of the political authority.’
Councillor Ritchie Culhane said Drogheda was the natural hinterland for those living in East Meath and as a result there is a massive population that the town facilitates but it is not getting any return from. He also raised concerns about what losing the borough council has meant for Drogheda. ‘You’ll see it yourself as you walk down West Street and Narrow West Street, shops have closed people are moving out of the centre of town. The infrastructure is falling apart basically because we don’t really have the powers that locals should have.’