CREDIBLE MAYOR WITH PROVEN TRACK RECORD REQUIRED TO MANAGE €2.5bn DUBLIN BUDGET

ECONOMIC STIUMLUS FOR DUBLIN MUST BE PRIORITISED TO DRIVE NATIONAL RECOVERY

REFORM OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES - AT A MINIMUM - CAN DELIVER EFFICIENCIES OF  €170 MILLION

Peter Brennan elected as President of Dublin Chamber of Commerce

The Taoiseach will be called on to show his support for a Dublin Mayor with wide-ranging powers and authority by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.  This will redress the damage already done to the planned office by proposals for celebrity candidates arising from legislative delays and a lack of clarity on the powers of the Mayor.  At the AGM of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, 4th February  its newly elected President, Peter Brennan, will call on An Taoiseach Brian Cowen to assign the Dublin Mayor the task of preparing an economic recovery plan for the region. 

Mr. Brennan will call on the Taoiseach to provide a committment that  promised legislation for the Dublin Mayoral elections will ensure that the Mayor’s office has strong powers, the authority to pursue local government reform and efficiencies and the budget to create an overall strategy for the Dublin city region to drive economic recovery.

The four Dublin local authorities employ 10,000 staff and have a combined budget of €2.5 billion per annum.  Dublin Chamber  estimate that through merging of functions across the authorities and gains in efficiency the Mayor could achieve a saving of at least 10 per cent in the cost of Dublin’s local government.  Mr. Brennan will stress that the position requires candidates with proven track records rather than those with or seeking celebrity status.

Commenting on the importance of the Mayor’s office, Mr. Brennan will highlight that by 2030 it is anticipated that nearly half of the state’s population will live on just 10% of the country’s landmass along the east coast known as the Greater Dublin Region.

“Considering the future development of the Dublin city region, the promised legislation must ensure that the responsibilities of the Mayor include transport, planning, traffic management, enterprise development, tourism, crisis management and the economic development of the Dublin city region. The remit of the office should include the development and management of programmes in the local authority areas of Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.  The objective of the Mayor should be to push for integrated solutions by taking a coordinated approach to address the challenges faced in each of these local authority areas. The Mayor must be given the budget, executive powers and autonomy to achieve this objective,” Mr. Brennan will state in his speech.

Mr. Brennan will also call on the Taoiseach to introduce an economic stimulus package for the Dublin city region with exchequer investment reallocated to new and emerging opportunities pointing out that the prospects for the national economy are almost entirely dependent on sustaining the region’s economy.

“The Dublin region accounts for four out of every ten jobs, almost half of all goods and services produced and just under half of total tax revenues.  However, nobody is politically responsible for the Dublin economy, no overall coherent economic development strategy exists, nor is one planned which has wide stakeholder support and a matching budget. The Dublin city region urgently needs a coherent plan and stimulus package which we have termed D21 to drive investment and provide supports for the enterprise sector.  The D21 plan should be prepared within three months of the Dublin Mayor taking office.  The target should be the production of a list of quick wins and longer term solutions to drive economic recovery. Even in these times of constrained resources, it is possible to deliver a stimulus package not just based on extra spending but by reassessing current spending and trends and providing a highly targeted and focused plan that aims to use resources in the areas where they can have the greatest impact,”  Mr. Brennan will outline in his speech.

Mr. Brennan will also indicate that a key priority for the Chamber in 2010 will be to eliminate the inequitable financial burden placed on business by the local authorities and he stated that the

recently established Local Government Efficiency Review Group must identify cost saving of at least €170 million for the local authorities in the Dublin city region.

“Businesses pay some €650 million, a full third of the day-to-day costs of the four Dublin local authorities by way of commercial rates – much more if waste, water and other charges are added.  There is a disproportionate reliance and unfair burden placed on businesses to subsidise inefficiencies at local authority level. At a time when businesses are struggling to survive, this is no longer sustainable. The recommendations of the Local Authority Efficiency Review Group must identify and eliminate €170 million of waste in expenditure and work practices in the delivery of programmes. Equally, we need fewer, but full time, elected councillors to serve the needs of citizens and rate payers while the merging, consolidation and divesting of some services such as water, waste and debt collection to the private sector will reduce costs through economic efficiencies brought about by greater economies of scale and competitive tendering.  We will ask the Review Group to consider these proposals in detail. The promised white paper on local government reform must also be brought forward at the earliest opportunity with the accompanying political will to introduce measures to make local government more transparent, responsive to its customers and operated on a value for money basis. The hidden costs of local authorities in the Dublin region can no longer be met by business,” Mr. Brennan will indicate.  

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Brennan will say that a collective effort is required to restore national and international confidence in the economy and while acknowledging the steps taken by Government, particularly in the recent budget, he will indicate that further clarity is required around the Government’s medium term plan to regain competitiveness.

Also speaking at the AGM Robert Gallagher, Chief Executive, Corporate Markets, Ulster Bank said "Ulster Bank are delighted to be involved in this event once again this year. Events such as this provide a valuable forum for discussing key issues facing businesses at this time. All business leaders have an important role to play in rebuilding a strong economy and I believe that this challenge can be faced with confidence because we start from a more robust and sturdier base built up over the boom years."