South Tipperary TD Seamus Healy is continuing to press for the creation of a promised Taskforce on Local Democracy.
The commitment was included in the Programme for Government in response to calls from across the country for the restoration of Town and Borough Councils. These elements of local Democracy were abolished in 2014 as part of reforms introduced by the Government in response to EU directives on Local Government Reform and also as a cost saving measure. The Government of the day reduced the number of Councillors across the country with Tipperary losing 47 councillors when the town councils were abolished and replaced with five Municipal District Councils that now combine to form Tipperary County Council. South Tipperary lost 27 councillors and north Tipperary 21 councillors at the time.
In County Tipperary, the five Municipal District Councils established in 2014 in Nenagh, Clonmel, Carrick on Suir, Thurles Templemore and Tipperary Cahir Cashel districts now elect a total of 40 Councillors.
The Government, led by Micheal Martin, is yet to establish the Task Force and Deputy Healy wants the group to be established as soon as possible to examine how improvements could be made to the current situation where he says Borough and Town Councils were replaced with committees that ”had no power, no functions and no money.”
