Cumann Comhairlí Contae is Cathrach
ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY AND CITY COUNCILS
(formerly known as the General Council of County Councils)
Input to Department's Strategy Statement Consultation.
Association of County & City Councils
Ms. Geraldine Tallon
Secretary General
Dept. of the Environment
Input to Department's Strategy Statement Consultation.
Dear Secretary General
The Association of County & City Councils welcomes this opportunity make an input into your Department's Statement of Strategy 2008-10 Consultation.
The Association has, for its part, always endeavoured to sustain a postive relationship with the Department and indeed, for over a decade now, has actively co-operated with the Dept. on helping to inform the network of councillors regarding major new initiatives such as Better Local Government and the Local Government Act 2001. The ACCC put in a considerable networking effort to brief and advise local elected members on the detail and potential of such initiatives.
We are convinced that such activity helped the Department reach a constituency that it might not otherwise have been able to reach with such effect.
Naturally as a representative organisation we will not agree with every measure or initiative brought forward by the Department but more often than not we have been able to adopt a deliberately supportive and responsible position.
That having been said we would itemise the following specific measures which the Department might take into account in finalising its strategy with particular emphasis on treating the representative association as a valued customer:
1. We would ask that the resource of the ACCC be valued and respected as a partner and stakeholder in attempting to make local government better for the citizens which we both serve. The Department might look at a body such as ours as a supportive resource holding a responsible and informed position on the development of local government and, within that, the status of the elected member. We are saying that the sentiments of 'customer service' be applied to interactions with the representative association as fully as they are applied to any other customers dealing with the department.
2. That the Department will consult with the ACCC on all policy initatives and proposed legislation affecting local goverment capacities and structures and in particular that there will not be a repeat of the Local Government Act 2006 debacle which saw the introduction of major new concept, with associated committees, without ANY prior consultation with the people who will be most affected by these issues.
3. That the Department will publish all statutory instruments on its website and also arrange for periodical lists of Departmental circulars issued to be furnished to the representative associations -- a practice promising mutual benefit in that a well informed councillor corps is an asset to the progress of schemes and initiatives..
We would appreciate the opportunity to submit further inputs and suggestions as your strategy consultation evolves in the coming months.
In the meantime we would appreciate your acknowledgement of this submission.