Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

Financial Summary:
Through a combination of savings and measures a total of €5 million in short to
medium-term operational costs savings (with possible additional savings of €30
million in the long term) can be achieved based on capital investment:
1. A continued strong emphasis on water conservation instead of schemes to
increase capacity – net operational savings of €5 million per annum are
achievable through active leakage control in the short to medium-term
2. On the basis of sustained investment in mains rehabilitation, a 10% annual
reduction in unaccounted for water can be achieved over the long-term (by
2016) – additional net annual savings (taking into account increased
operational costs related to statutory compliance obligations) of €15 million in
the long-term
3. On the basis of the introduction of domestic water charges and associated
water metering, this will yield additional savings based on reductions in
demand. These savings ought to arise from enhanced information on water
usage and leakage which will allow local authorities to pro-actively manage
their water distribution networks, and increased demand reduction measures
by householders as they become aware of their consumption patterns and
associated costs. This would be supported by greater utilisation of shared
resources on a regional basis – potential €15 million per annum in the longterm
(this estimate does not include the capital costs of metering)
4. Further critical examination by the Department and local authorities to reduce
energy usage with dedicated funding to be provided from the Department’s
capital allocation from 2011 – potential €5 million saving per annum (though
this could increase to €10 million per annum in future years through
investment in renewable energy for new and existing treatment plants where
feasible under the Department’s capital investment programme – this saving
has already been accounted for in the section on procurement)
Total Amount: €35 million (of which €5 million are short to medium-term savings)
10.4 Planning
10.4.1 In all, 88 local authorities are designated as ‘planning authorities’ for the
purposes of planning legislation, including forward planning, development
management, and planning enforcement for their area. All 34 county and
city councils are planning authorities, as are the 54 rating town councils
(although it should be noted that the bulk of town councils in practice rely
heavily on the planning staff of their respective county council to carry out
their duties in this area – see section 5.5). Non-rating town councils do not
have planning functions.
10.4.2 The responsibilities of local authorities in this area include:
• Forward planning and the preparation of a development plan every 6
years, as well as local area plans;
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