Published: Wednesday, 28th July, 2010 5:30pm

Local councillors oppose plans to eliminate councils

Councillors in both Westmeath and Roscommon are opposed to the plans put forward by the Local Government Efficiency Review Group last week to merge Westmeath County Council with Longford County Council and Roscommon County Council with Mayo County Council.

Cllr Kevin 'Boxer' Moran (FF), who sits on both Athlone Town Council and Westmeath County Council, said he is totally opposed to getting rid of any county managers and having one county manager for two counties.

Speaking about the report, he said: "It's another slight of Fianna Fáil in bed with the Greens. We're going to have to stop that carry on."

He said Fianna Fáil should not implement Green policy that was damaging rural Ireland just to stay in power.

Cllr Moran said amalgamating Westmeath County Council and Longford County Council would be wrong and pointed out that before the creation of area committees within the council, meetings went on all day as councillors tried to get things done, but if you added in another council to the mix things would get worse.

"That's not democracy. If they did that (merged the councils) I would definitely have to consider my position as a county councillor and a town councillor," he said.

"If the party is not going to serve the people I will consider my position in politics."

Asked whether he would consider his position within the Fianna Fáil party, Cllr Moran said he wouldn't as he believed in the Fianna Fáil party and believed it was making the right choices for the country, but said if the county councils were merged he would have to consider his position as a councillor as he would no longer be able to represent the people in the same way. Speaking about the proposal to take away the rateable powers of town councils, Cllr Moran said if this was taken away from Athlone Town Council then they were essentially doing away with the town's budget, which he pointed out paid for things such as this week's European People's Festival, the regeneration of the castle, the westside project and the Fr Mathew Hall development.

In Roscommon, Cllr John Keogh, also Fianna Fáil, said he would be opposed to the merger of Roscommon County Council with Mayo County Council. "I would have serious reservations in relation to any merger of county councils," said Cllr Keogh. "I haven't had a chance to look at the report in detail as yet so it would be somewhat premature of me to make a comment, but from what I've heard I would be concerned. As it stands I'm fully opposed to it, as I'm sure the rest of the Roscommon county councillors are."

Fine Gael's John Naughten also said he would be opposed to any merger of Roscommon County Council with Mayo County Council, saying it was important to keep the council structures in place.