Transcript Document

Delivering Integrated
Rural and Local Development post 2014
in the Light of the Alignment Proposals.
Roinn na Tíreolaíochta
Department of Geography
Brendan O’Keeffe
Killorglin, May 2013
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
Local Government in Ireland
Drawing on International Best Practice
Lessons regarding Existing Structures
The ILDN Position
Making Policy
• Look at the Evidence and Follow It.
• Consult with those involved.
• Include Financial Projections.
1. Local Government is a Good Thing.
Ireland needs
• Local Government Reform
• More decentralisation and devolution of
power to local communities
• A smaller bureaucracy
• A more flexible system that allows for
innovation and local input.
State Systems in the ESPON 29 Space
The Role of Local
Authorities
How Ireland Compares
Functions Lost since 2002
• Health
• Vehicle Registration
• School Attendance Monitoring
• Waste Management
• National Secondary Roads
• Third Level Grants
• Water
• Driving Licences
Comparative Local Authority Size
140,000
Number of Citizens
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Local Authority Size and Administrative Overheads, 2012
Source: Callanan, M., Murphy, R and Quinlivan, A (2012)
“Blind Up-scaling”
Charter on Local Self-Government
Considering that the right of citizens to participate in the conduct
of public affairs is one of the democratic principles … and that it is
at local level that this right can be most directly exercised;
Article 4 - Scope of local self-government
• Powers given to local authorities shall normally be full and
exclusive…local authorities shall, insofar as possible, be allowed
discretion in adapting their exercise to local conditions.
• Local authorities shall be consulted, insofar as possible, in due
time and in an appropriate way in the planning and decisionmaking processes for all matters which concern them directly.
Article 5 – Protection of local authority boundaries
• Changes in local authority boundaries shall not be made
without prior consultation of the local communities concerned,
possibly by means of a referendum where this is permitted by
statute.
The Democratic Input?
• The Mahon Tribunal Report (page 2518) recommended
that regional authorities be “democratically elected.”
• The Hogan Proposals abolish the eight regional
authorities (page ix) and realign the existing regional
assemblies from two to three.
Hogan also proposes:
• “to ensure that Councillors will no longer be allowed to
direct the executive in respect of planning functions”
(page i) and
• to reduce the number of elected councillors by 46% mainly affecting the West.
2. Rural Development and
International Best Practice
• European Commission
• European Court of Auditors
• OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation
and Development)
• ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observatory
Network)
• All independent evaluations.
favour decentralisation and the retention and further
development of the LEADER model independent of
local government, working in partnership with local
authorities.
Community-Led Local Development
According to the European Commission:
Over the past 20 years, the LEADER approach to
community-led local development (CLLD) – designed
to help rural actors consider the long-term potential
of their local region, has proven an effective and
efficient tool in the delivery of development policies.
CLLD can mobilise and involve local communities and
organisations to contribute to achieving the Europe
2020 Strategy goals of smart, sustainable and
inclusive growth, fostering territorial cohesion and
reaching specific policy objectives.
O.E.C.D. Recommendations
OECD (2006) The New Rural Paradigm
Enabling Bottom-Up Participation
Competitiveness is a bottom-up process in which
individuals, firms, and institutions take and share
responsibility to address the specific barriers faced
by their region and companies in a given market
and not just the general challenges. In delivering
the Europe 2020 strategy, local and regional
governments and development agencies across
rural Europe will need to look at their own specific
situations and see how they might work with other
partners to develop rural business clusters
(ESPON, 2009; 45).
ESPON Recommendations
• The aims of Europe 2020 require that territorial
diversity is acknowledged and that full advantage
is taken of the distinctiveness of Europe’s regions
and municipalities.*
• A territorial dimension is also needed to fully
grasp the different types of challenges for
regional development of the Europe 2020
strategy… and its richness also allows for better
inclusion of the key public and private
stakeholders at local and regional level (page 30).
* The SKDP Community Forum Areas are equivalent to municipalities.
The Scale of LEADER
Excludes The Netherlands and Belgium
Sweden=2,760km2. Finland = 6,127km2
3. Lessons from and for
Existing Structures
3.1: County Development Board
3.2: LEADER
3.1: Evaluation of CDBs
We recommend that formalised mechanisms are put in place to ensure
some weighting is given by national Department/statutory agencies to
views of CDBs in relation to local measures. We believe this is particularly
important in deciding on resource priorities. We believe it would be
unrealistic to assume that because CDBs have endorsed measures that no
other evaluation is needed (INDECON, 2008; viii).
Nevertheless we believe there is a need for a formalised mechanism to
ensure a weighting is given to the views of CDBs. Where CDBs’ views are
being sought by a Government Department or national agency regarding
a particular issue, then their local representatives, as appropriate, on the
Board should take a lead role in that matter (op. cit.; ix).
Radically Improve Availability of County / City Data
Increase Information on Best Practice Exchange between CDBs
and Between CDBs and Statutory Agencies
3.2 Independent Evaluation of LEADER
• More autonomous LAGs show better results in
awakening dormant skills and potentials, in
strategic thinking and in monitoring the
development of their area in a structured way
• Autonomy or the decision making power of Local
Action Groups should be further developed.
Decision making power makes sense if the LAG is
willing to exert it, if it is capable to master it and
if it is allowed to do so by the managing authority
and the programme administration (page 20).
Ex-post evaluation of LEADER+
(Metis GmbH with AEIDL and CEU)
Ex-post evaluation of LEADER+
• The European Commission should maintain its
stance on the participation of >50% non-public
partners in decision making bodies, knowing that
the ‘shadow of hierarchy’, a normal functioning of
the public sector (according to the principles of
‘good governance’) is a prerequisite for the LAG
(essentially a public-private partnership) to
function normally. Apart from these principal
considerations, the EU Commission should, in its
Regulation, put more emphasis on fostering local
governance and according capacity development
(page 175).
4. The ILDN Proposals for
Stronger Local Democracy
Commission for Economic and
Social Affairs
• Data Collection, Co-Ordination
and Dissemination
• Monitoring Territorial Impacts
of Agencies
• Inter-territorial collaboration
• Promotion and Advocacy
• Environmental Monitoring
• Assessing territorial impacts of
National and EU Policy e.g. NSS
South Kerry Dev. Partnership
• Autonomous Delivery of
Actions including LEADER
and LCDP etc.
• Community Development
• Social Economy
• Local Employment and
Enterprise Functions
• Local Agenda 21
• Mainstreaming via
Localisation and OutSourcing
Department of Environment ,
Other Government Departments,
Pobal
EU
DG Regio
Policy Direction
Resources
Policy Direction
Brokerage
Regional
Assembly
Planning and
Oversight
Policy
Representative Democracy
Data Capture
Monitoring
Proofing
Promotion
S.E. COMMISSION
Advocacy
Facilitation
Dissemination
Information
Participative Democracy
Resources,
Mainstreaming,
Outsourcing
Implementation
Delivery and
Ownership
County Spatial
and Economic Plan
Resources and Expertise
Formulation of City / County
Community and Local Plan
Community
Plans
LIFE
LCDP
EQUAL
LEADER
Contract-Holding
INTERREG
RTP
Autonomous
CSP
LES
SKILLSNET
Local Development
TÚS
BTWEA
Companies
RSS
Childcare
JI
Warmer Homes
Local Agenda 21
etc.
Community-Led Local Development
City / County
Authority
Election of Councillors
Resources / Initiatives / Programmes
/Contracts
SEC Roles and Functions in Respect of Community and Municipal Planning and
Interfaces between Local Development and Local Government
Community
Plans
Municipal District
CitizenCentred
Service Delivery
Commission Membership
State and EU
Executives
Councillors
Forfás /
Teagasc /
Colleges/
Universities
Public
Service
Financial
Institutions
Government
Agencies
DSP /
Solus
Economic
Development
Social
Progress
Municipal
& Local
Authorities
Executives
Regional
Assemblies
Geographical
Communities
Public
Sector
Local
Social
Partners
Development
/ LEADER
Partnerships
Environmental
Forum
/Voluntary
Interest
Communities
Third
Sector
HSE
Productive
Sector
Community
Special
Interest
Social
Economy
Women
Youth
Cultural
Prefect
Commission Governance
•
•
•
•
•
•
Broadly-based
Key Role for Municipal Councillors
Equity between Members
Owned by Members
Independent Staffing
Monitoring ALL agencies and with tiered
ability to sanction using OMC method.
5. Conclusion
• Autonomous and locally-based Partnerships outperform those
that are aligned to local authorities
• Collaboration between autonomous Partnerships and Local
Authorities delivers projects and improves local competitiveness
and quality of life.
• Current proposals represent a de-Europeanisation of Irish
institutions, a dilution of partnership and the loss of potential
European funding for rural development.
• Dismantling of structures may be populist in Dublin 4, but will
be costly.
• The loss of key personnel and the institutionalisation of local
development is a cause for concern among volunteers.
• Civil Society Leaders and Entrepreneurs have not been
sufficiently consulted in the formulation of policy on local and
rural development.
Putting People First needs to be
revised to:
1. Strengthen Local Government by
– devolving power from central government
bureaucracy (and NOT from local development
and voluntary bodies),
– Giving the SPC oversight over all statutory bodies,
2. Strengthen Local Development by
– Allowing for local innovation and tailored
strategies – with less red tape.
– Ensure community ownership
– Partnership between local government and local
development.