Putting People First Guide - Department of Environment and Local ...

Putting People First Summary_Layout 1 16/10/2012 10:50 Page 5Fo r e w or dlocal government represents and serves the citizen. uniquely, it is given afranchise by all residents in ireland. putting people First involves the mostfundamental set of changes in local government in the history of the statefrom regional and county level through to the municipal level of governance.these changes are an integral part of the government’s comprehensiveprogramme to improve the way the political system serves our people. thereforms include: making our political funding system more transparent;increasing the participation of women; reducing the number of tds;establishing the Constitutional Convention; and introducing legislation toaddress conflicts of interests, lobbying procedures and to strengthen our planning system. my department hasa key role in spearheading many of these reforms.this action programme, putting people First, outlines government policy for reform and development rightacross the local government system. the reforms put a strong emphasis on accountability as the bedrock of aproperly functioning system of local democracy, providing for better engagement with citizens. i believefervently in the need for local government to build strong relationships with and gain the interest of localpeople. however, local government structures in ireland have not been updated since the 19th Century. i amrenewing those structures and introducing more effective democratic arrangements, which will increaseefficiency and give better value for money for the people it serves. this will involve radical measures, such asa substantial reduction in the number of Councillors and the number of local and regional authorities.local government must also operate to the very highest standards. putting people First introduces newdegrees of accountability, transparency and external scrutiny, as essential pillars of local democracy. therewill be a new national oversight and audit Commission with external expertise, which will provide a morerobust system of performance monitoring with a focus on: key performance indicators, customer service andcomparative performance of local authorities. i will strengthen the role of local authority audit Committeesand i will also review reserved powers under section 140 of the local government act 2001 to ensure thatCouncillors will no longer be allowed to direct managers in respect of planning functions.local government has been ahead of most sectors in the changes it has made to reduce costs and driveefficiency, with €830 million savings made since 2008, and the sector is well on the way to achieving the €511million savings identified in the report of the local government efficiency review group. i will ensure thatlocal authorities continue to vigorously pursue the efficiency agenda, while maintaining essential frontlineservices and delivering the highest standards of customer service. the reform programme will yield savingsof up to €420 million on full implementation.putting people First reinforces local government as the primary means of public service at local level,harnessing the commitment of elected members and officials. For my part, i am committed to buildingstronger, more cohesive local government, giving it a greater capacity not only to address the challenges weface, but also to promote local community, social and economic development, and collectively to maximise thestrengths of our country as a place in which to live, to invest and to work. at a critical time for our country, local5