Democracy and local government reform in Britain 1996-2010 – Some lessons for implementing Putting People First?

Abstract

The package of proposals contained in Putting People First document, the Report of the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee and the Final Report of the Local Government/Local Development Alignment Steering Group, taken in conjunction with the introduction of the Residential Property Tax and the incorporation of enterprise development bodies in local government represent the most significant set of local government reforms articulated by an Irish government since the introduction of the city/county manager system. In particular the focus on making local public policy making more democratic and accountable is particularly noteworthy. The implementation of these policy initiatives has now commenced with the publication of the Local Government Bill, 2013. Ireland is not unusual in seeking to radically reform the operation of the state at local level. Andrews and Boyne (2012, 297-298) note that policy makers across the world continue to debate the merits of alternative local government structures in terms of their consequences for local service costs and performance. In recent years several countries have enacted or considered reorganizations of local government on the grounds of efficiency. Examples include Denmark where the number of local government units was reduced from 270 to 98 in 2007, and there is further ongoing discussion about another reduction. Similarly, in Australia and Canada, debates have long raged about the amalgamation of local governments (Vojnovic 2000; King et al. 2004, Dollery et al. 2009). At the same time, it seems likely that the current era of fiscal austerity will increase the pressure on governments to reform and/or reorganize local government. Tis article proposes that the implementation Irish local government reform programme should take heed of previous and similar reform processes in order for the changes it proposes to be embedded and successful (Wollman 2008). In additions it suggests that the reforms may have very significant implications for planners, the planning process and ...