Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

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6. Local Government Staffing 6.1 Organisational Structures within Local Government 6.1.1 It is vital at all times that staff resources are managed to maximum effect at local and national level. The Group has set out a range of recommendations which it is satisfied will lead to better use of the staff resources of the local government sector. The Croke Park agreement provides a flexible framework to support implementation. These developments offer the scope for effecting the better use of staff resources which the Group details below. 6.1.2 There are a wide range of organisational structures in operation in the local government sector. This is partly a function of the type of local authority (for example urban versus rural areas), the scale of the local authority, and the extent to which local authorities have adopted an area-based approach to service provision. The organisational role of the manager is underpinned by the Local Government Act 2001. Section 159 of this Act provides that “the manager shall, for the purposes of discharging the responsibilities set out under section 149 make such staffing and organisational arrangements as may be necessary for the purposes of carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible”. 6.1.3 Section 160 of the Act further provides, amongst other things, that “…a local authority may, from time to time, fix qualifications for any employment…” The above provisions were seen as necessary to provide the local authority manager with sufficient autonomy in organisational matters to effectively manage the local authority. 6.1.4 These provisions are circumscribed by public service pay, conditions and grading norms, and staffing quotas and controls which are administered by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government by delegation from the Department of Finance. 6.1.5 Much of the data set out in the Tables and Figures in this section has been derived from a 2010 survey of local authorities. 6.2 Staffing Levels 6.2.1 Local authorities have, since 2003, operated within a staffing quota system agreed with the Department of Finance and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. 56
Figure 6.1 – Local Authority Staff Numbers (End Year Whole Time Equivalents) 26488 26496 Quota = 33,300 Permanent Staff 27865 (agreed in 2003) 31539 33079 2548 3094 3492 3563 3164 30846 30973 31189 31423 31844 Source: Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government 6.2.2 Under this system, local authorities are expected to operate within strict staffing limits. Any exemptions from this, which arise in exceptional circumstances only, are subject to sanction from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The system has operated effectively to manage numbers and overall local authorities have been able to operate successfully within this framework from 2003 to the present. 6.2.3 By end-2009, there were 32,252 whole time equivalents (WTE) staff employed in local authorities. In March 2009, the Government introduced a moratorium on recruitment. The moratorium for the local government sector is administered by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Staffing levels in the sector have been reduced by 5,000 since June 2008. The operation of the moratorium, the utilisation of the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement and the non-retention of significant numbers of contract staff have all contributed to this downsizing. This has been reinforced by national and local budgetary constraints, reductions in funding from both these sources, and reduced activity in the economy (for example in the planning and housing sectors). Staffing levels will, on an ongoing basis, be subject to the Employment Control Framework currently in development. 6.3 Local Authority Staffing Levels and Population 6.3.1 Staffing levels within the county and city councils range from 6,480 WTE in Dublin City (the largest) to 302 WTE in Leitrim (the smallest). 1690 30561 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Temporary & Contract Staff Permanent Staff 57
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Report of the Local Government Effi
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5. Organisational Efficiency Issues
Page 5 and 6: 14. Recommendations 14.1 Recommenda
Page 7 and 8: associated Government Statement, ne
Page 9 and 10: more focussed than previously on mu
Page 11 and 12: ating town councils is largely repr
Page 13 and 14: • The provision of quality custom
Page 15 and 16: 1.7 Compliance Requirements on Loca
Page 17 and 18: 2.1 National Public Finances 2. Bud
Page 19 and 20: Figure 2.2 - Total Local Authority
Page 21 and 22: evenue were needed for the local go
Page 23 and 24: Figure 2.3 - Sources of Local Autho
Page 25 and 26: Figure 2.4 -Sources of Local Author
Page 27 and 28: Figure 2.5 - Local Authority Curren
Page 29 and 30: Payroll Expenses Table 2.4 - Breakd
Page 31 and 32: 2. Reintroducing domestic water cha
Page 33 and 34: Income €m € 1,600.0 € 1,400.0
Page 35 and 36: 3. Local Government Experience of E
Page 37 and 38: maintenance are provided by the cou
Page 39 and 40: well as reductions in the number of
Page 41 and 42: 4. Context - Looking Forward 4.1 Na
Page 43 and 44: 4.2.6 Aside from keeping costs down
Page 45 and 46: 5. Organisational Efficiency Issues
Page 47 and 48: statutorily vested in certain ratin
Page 49 and 50: 5.5.6 Roads are classified into nat
Page 51 and 52: the majority of town councils, a pl
Page 53 and 54: 5.7 Other Local Bodies 5.7.1 A smal
Page 55: • County council offices / area o
Page 59 and 60: Figure 6.2 - Staffing per 1,000 Pop
Page 61 and 62: Figure 6.5 - Staffing Per 1,000 Pop
Page 63 and 64: Cluster Data Cluster Mayo Roscommon
Page 65 and 66: senior management staff - for examp
Page 67 and 68: ut this figure varies from 22% to 5
Page 69 and 70: eplacement with lower level staff w
Page 71 and 72: Corporate Services, HR, IT, and Fin
Page 73 and 74: to provide services in the corporat
Page 75 and 76: Recommendations: 6.11.1 In summary,
Page 77 and 78: 7.1 Local Government Audit 7. Value
Page 79 and 80: through open recruitment. Opportuni
Page 81 and 82: the Director and relevant local gov
Page 83 and 84: 7.6.3 Local authorities should cons
Page 85 and 86: 8. Shared Services 8.1 Shared Servi
Page 87 and 88: 8.2.6 Many parts of the United Stat
Page 89 and 90: 8.4 Shared ‘Back Office’ Servic
Page 91 and 92: 8.4.12 For example, recruitment to
Page 93 and 94: approach which will be used to asse
Page 95 and 96: enefits in terms of pooling resourc
Page 97 and 98: while also improving the service fo
Page 99 and 100: Implementation Group suggested in s
Page 101 and 102: 9.2.4 The Local Government e-Procur
Page 103 and 104: forms are now captured online. This
Page 105 and 106: 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
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10.2.6 To date, the emphasis of tol
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10.2.14 The Group also noted the la
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• Allocating grants to improve th
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10.3.11 It would also facilitate th
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consumption (see also section 9 in
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Financial Summary: Through a combin
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current levels of resourcing for pl
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educe the number of such transactio
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Financial Summary: Through a combin
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in the trend of rationalisation of
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Table 10.1 - Motor Taxation Classes
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detail in issuing licences. Motor t
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11.1 Treasury Management 11. Other
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for the overdraft, has the potentia
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• The online Roadworks Control sy
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management, etc. Use of professiona
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• Projects to streamline existing
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12. Local Government and the Wider
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significant administrative overhead
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City Enterprise Boards with county/
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suggests that financial incentives
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13. Cost Recovery and Revenue Issue
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13.1.11 The Group considers that th
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Minister for Education and Skills t
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legislation provides that arrears o
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Recommendations: 13.5.1 In summary,
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14.1 Recommendations 14. Recommenda
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25. Financial performance indicator
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Housing 48. Housing sections within
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Planning monitoring by other public
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Local Government and the Wider Publ
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that just because these recommendat
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Appendix 1 - List of Submissions Re
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Appendix 2 - Local Government Effic
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Gross Current Income by Source and
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County Councils Housing and Buildin
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Town Councils Housing and Building
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Non-Rating Town Councils (1) Paymen
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Regional Assembly Payments Receipts
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Local Authority Current Expenditure
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Town Council Population Size (Censu
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Appendix 5 - Local Government Net B
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Former Town Commissioners 2010 Net
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Appendix 7 - Performance Indicators
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Appendix 9 - Unaccounted for Water
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Appendix 11 - Membership of County
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Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

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