A FINE Gael general election candidate has said he feels his party made a mistake when it abolished town councils in 2014, and if elected to Dáil Éireann he ‘will work hard to restore community involvement in the decision-making process related to their local areas.’
Cllr Noel O’Donovan who will run in the forthcoming general election in the Cork South West constituency has said there is a huge void in democracy at local community level, an unmanageable workload for sitting county councillors, and a lack of involvement by people who know the issues best at town and community level.
Speaking exclusively to The Southern Star Cllr O’Donovan, who resigned from An Garda Síochána to pursue a career in national politics, said he fully appreciated that 2011 was an extremely difficult time for his party in government, but the abolishment of town councils was ‘an error of judgement’ and should be reversed.
He added that now, more than ever, the country needs local people informing the decision-making process, by escalating issues to county and Oireachtas level. ‘It should not be the other way around as is often the case currently, where decisions are made on high, and communicated down the line when finalised. We need to empower local communities.’
He added that public representatives need to take on board the views of the people they represent, and reflect that position in the decisions that they make. ‘The Town Councils played a crucial role in this regard,’ he said.
Cllr O’Donovan has circulated election literature highlighting his three priorities as supporting local businesses, enhancing public spaces, and empowering communities.
He said he is currently working closely with existing community councils and intends on establishing new councils where they do not currently exist.
If elected, he hopes to convince Oireachtas colleagues to work towards restoring town councils across the country.
