Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

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13.5.3 The total value of the savings and extra charges identified above is €95 million in a full year. Financial Summary: Through a combination of savings and measures a total of €95 million can be achieved based on the following items 1. Cost recovery in water services for non-domestic users – €58 million 2. End a series of exemptions to the commercial rates basis – €27-37 million (as the net saving to the state) 3. Local authorities to be fully recouped for administrative overheads associated with Higher Education Grants – €3 million 4. Cease local authority contributions to VECs – €2 million 5. Adapt existing approaches to charging in line with the NPPR model, particularly as regards dealing with late payments, and providing for charges and late payment penalties to be a charge against a property where possible – unspecified, but likely to be significant 6. Social housing rents to be paid directly to local authorities by Department of Social Protection – (see section 10.1) Total Amount: €95 million 170
14.1 Recommendations 14. Recommendations 14.1.1 This section lists the recommendations made in previous sections of the report, including indicative timeframes and cross-references to the main text. While the list of recommendations appended to the Executive Summary is presented on a thematic basis, this section lists the recommendations section by section. 14.1.2 Short-term timeframes are set for recommendations to be progressed in 2011. Medium-term timeframes indicate recommendations to be progressed in 2012-2013. Long-term timeframes signify recommendations that can be expected to achieve efficiency outcomes in the post-2013 period. Organisational Efficiency Issues 1. Responsibility for planning, roads and housing functions should be transferred from town councils to county councils (medium term – section 5.6); 2. County councils should be allowed delegate some local aspects of housing service provision to towns where this is economically efficient (medium-term – section 5.6.9); 3. Each county council should be allocated an urban grant for local urban roads, with the county council determining the urban road spend across all towns in its administrative area (medium-term – section 5.6.6); 4. The power to determine the annual rate on valuation should be removed from town councils, and town charges be applied in the same manner as other existing non-rating town councils (medium-term – section 5.6.13); 5. County council offices / area offices and town council offices should be colocated (ongoing – section 5.6.10); 6. Joint drainage boards, joint burial boards, and other bodies should be dissolved, and their functions transferred to local authorities or a ‘lead’ local authority (short to medium-term – section 5.7); 7. The payments and expenses provided to local elected members should be kept under review to ensure that they remain reasonable and proportionate (ongoing – section 5.2). Local Government Staffing 8. The number of county/ city managers should be reduced from 34 to 24, representing a reduction of 30% (short, medium and long-term – section 6.4); 9. The number of directors, based on a standard template related to the size of the local authority, should be reduced by at least 20% from 240 to 190 (short, medium and long-term – sections 6.5 and 6.6); 10. The number of senior and middle managers (administrative and professional) should be reduced by 15% (short to medium-term – section 6.6); 171
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Report of the Local Government Effi
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5. Organisational Efficiency Issues
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14. Recommendations 14.1 Recommenda
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associated Government Statement, ne
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more focussed than previously on mu
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ating town councils is largely repr
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• The provision of quality custom
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1.7 Compliance Requirements on Loca
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2.1 National Public Finances 2. Bud
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Figure 2.2 - Total Local Authority
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evenue were needed for the local go
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Figure 2.3 - Sources of Local Autho
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Figure 2.4 -Sources of Local Author
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Figure 2.5 - Local Authority Curren
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Payroll Expenses Table 2.4 - Breakd
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2. Reintroducing domestic water cha
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Income €m € 1,600.0 € 1,400.0
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3. Local Government Experience of E
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maintenance are provided by the cou
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well as reductions in the number of
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4. Context - Looking Forward 4.1 Na
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4.2.6 Aside from keeping costs down
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5. Organisational Efficiency Issues
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statutorily vested in certain ratin
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5.5.6 Roads are classified into nat
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the majority of town councils, a pl
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5.7 Other Local Bodies 5.7.1 A smal
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• County council offices / area o
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Figure 6.1 - Local Authority Staff
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Figure 6.2 - Staffing per 1,000 Pop
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Figure 6.5 - Staffing Per 1,000 Pop
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Cluster Data Cluster Mayo Roscommon
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senior management staff - for examp
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ut this figure varies from 22% to 5
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eplacement with lower level staff w
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Corporate Services, HR, IT, and Fin
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to provide services in the corporat
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Recommendations: 6.11.1 In summary,
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7.1 Local Government Audit 7. Value
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through open recruitment. Opportuni
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the Director and relevant local gov
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7.6.3 Local authorities should cons
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8. Shared Services 8.1 Shared Servi
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8.2.6 Many parts of the United Stat
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8.4 Shared ‘Back Office’ Servic
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8.4.12 For example, recruitment to
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approach which will be used to asse
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enefits in terms of pooling resourc
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while also improving the service fo
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Implementation Group suggested in s
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9.2.4 The Local Government e-Procur
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forms are now captured online. This
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Table 9.1 - Non-Pay Items Procured
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9.5.10 LAQuotes is used by the vast
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sectoral level, to promote exchange
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10.1 Housing 10. Efficiencies in Pr
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10.1.9 Two issues arise in this res
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that may arise in this respect as p
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the new Housing and Sustainable Com
Page 119 and 120: 10.2.6 To date, the emphasis of tol
Page 121 and 122: 10.2.14 The Group also noted the la
Page 123 and 124: • Allocating grants to improve th
Page 125 and 126: 10.3.11 It would also facilitate th
Page 127 and 128: consumption (see also section 9 in
Page 129 and 130: Financial Summary: Through a combin
Page 131 and 132: current levels of resourcing for pl
Page 133 and 134: educe the number of such transactio
Page 135 and 136: Financial Summary: Through a combin
Page 137 and 138: in the trend of rationalisation of
Page 139 and 140: Table 10.1 - Motor Taxation Classes
Page 141 and 142: detail in issuing licences. Motor t
Page 143 and 144: 11.1 Treasury Management 11. Other
Page 145 and 146: for the overdraft, has the potentia
Page 147 and 148: • The online Roadworks Control sy
Page 149 and 150: management, etc. Use of professiona
Page 151 and 152: • Projects to streamline existing
Page 153 and 154: 12. Local Government and the Wider
Page 155 and 156: significant administrative overhead
Page 157 and 158: City Enterprise Boards with county/
Page 159 and 160: suggests that financial incentives
Page 161 and 162: 13. Cost Recovery and Revenue Issue
Page 163 and 164: 13.1.11 The Group considers that th
Page 165 and 166: Minister for Education and Skills t
Page 167 and 168: legislation provides that arrears o
Page 169: Recommendations: 13.5.1 In summary,
Page 173 and 174: 25. Financial performance indicator
Page 175 and 176: Housing 48. Housing sections within
Page 177 and 178: Planning monitoring by other public
Page 179 and 180: Local Government and the Wider Publ
Page 181 and 182: that just because these recommendat
Page 183 and 184: Appendix 1 - List of Submissions Re
Page 185 and 186: Appendix 2 - Local Government Effic
Page 187 and 188: Gross Current Income by Source and
Page 189 and 190: County Councils Housing and Buildin
Page 191 and 192: Town Councils Housing and Building
Page 193 and 194: Non-Rating Town Councils (1) Paymen
Page 195 and 196: Regional Assembly Payments Receipts
Page 197 and 198: Local Authority Current Expenditure
Page 199 and 200: Town Council Population Size (Censu
Page 201 and 202: Appendix 5 - Local Government Net B
Page 203 and 204: Former Town Commissioners 2010 Net
Page 205 and 206: Appendix 7 - Performance Indicators
Page 207 and 208: Appendix 9 - Unaccounted for Water
Page 209: Appendix 11 - Membership of County
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Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

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