Cashel councillor hits out at plan to abolish councils
Cllr. Martin Browne, pictured with Deputy. Mary Lou McDonald, (guest speaker) at the 92nd Annual Sean Treacy Commemoration in Kilfeacle, last Sunday.
Cashel town councillor Martin Browne has expressed his anger and disgust at Minister Phil Hogan’s decision to abolish all town touncils with a stroke of his pen.
“It is ill-advised and ill-thought out” said the Sinn Fein councillor.
“As someone who has worked in the Community of Cashel for the past twenty four years in a voluntary capacity, up until the untimely death of my brother Cllr. Mickey Browne, where upon I was co-opted onto the council, I have seen how much work he and other councillors have done and how effective and helpful Cashel Town Council can be,” he said.
While accepting the need for reform at local level Cllr. Browne said it was crazy to implement measures like these when they save such a small amount of revenue.
“Fine Gael-Labour came to power on the promise of being more open and accountable to the public, these measures are the complete opposite to those promises. It takes away real democracy from grass roots level and transfers it to faceless officials.
“As I have stated reform has to take place but let’s start from the top down, Sinn Fein have put forward proposals for TDs and Senators wages and expenses to be cut, also in this country we have officials who are on insane wages and need to be cut to a realistic level, all of these measures would make the required saving and this is where the reform needs to start.
“Also more power could be given to local authorities and make them more accountable and transparent and if adequately funded could deliver local services more efficiently.
“Instead by his actions Minister Hogan and the government are collapsing local authorities, cutting funding and taking power from the local electorate. “I am asking the people of Cashel to not allow this to go through without a fight, we will not realise how important our local Council is until it is taken away from us.
“So please contact your local councillors and TD’s and ask them for support in getting this decision reversed,” said Cllr.Browne.
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Saturday 25 May 2013
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