Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

5.7.6 Section 13 of the Lough Corrib Navigation Act 1945 enables the Minister for
Transport to authorise the abandonment, or the transfer to a local authority
any portion of the Navigation or works forming part thereof.
5.7.7 The above bodies are responsible for just under €2 million in annual
expenditure and as such savings arising from their dissolution and the
transfer of their functions to a parent local authority would not yield
significant savings. However, there would be some administrative savings
in that there would not be a need to hold separate annual budget and other
meetings (sometimes involving large numbers of councillors and officials),
or to produce and audit annual accounts. In this regard, it is being assumed
that there could be an annual saving of between 10 and 15% (or €200,000 -
€300,000) of expenditure if the functions were transferred to a parent local
authority.
5.7.8 The Group therefore suggests that the joint drainage boards, the joint burial
boards, and the Lough Corrib Navigation Trustees be dissolved with their
functions transferred to local authorities or a ‘lead’ authority as appropriate
as soon as possible.
Recommendations:
5.8.1 In summary, the Group recommends that planning, roads and housing
functions of rating town councils be transferred to their respective county
councils. Town councils have a proud history of service to their local
community, but the Group considers that the transfer of functions should
take place for several reasons:
• The increasing complexity of service provision (in areas such as
housing);
• The need to reduce administrative overheads (in the planning service);
and
• The need to pursue equity across all urban areas (in terms of roads
allocations).
5.8.2 The Group also suggests that there is scope for rationalising a small
number of local bodies that exist.
5.8.3 Thus the Group recommends that:
• Responsibility for planning, roads and housing functions be transferred
from town councils to county councils;
• County councils be allowed delegate specific aspects of housing
service provision to towns where this is economically efficient;
• Each county council 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;
• The power to determine the annual rate on valuation be removed from
town councils, and town charges be applied in the same manner as
other existing non-rating town councils;
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