One of the key gaps in understanding public policy processes in Ireland is the lack of on-going independent research on the processes and structures which are in place across all levels of government. This is particularly problematic when it comes to local government where there is a dearth in evidence based research. This lack of knowledge allows a hearing for some contributions which can reflect a particular bias. It may also allow some political voices to make statements which cannot be challenged due to the lack of real evidence. Such challenges are less of an issue in the United Kingdom which has a long history of external examination of the policy processes and structures which are responsible for governance across all levels of British society. While such examination does not necessarily reflect itself in the UK having advanced systems of local government, a factor which the current Cameron led government seems to be conscious of, the availability of genuinely independent research at least allows those wishing to debate the merits, or otherwise, of UK government proposals on the reform of public management to do so.
One such example is the recent publication of the Warwick Commission Report on Elected Mayors and City Leadership. In a short, very readable research report, the Commission, which is funded by Warwick University, analyses the role of mayors across 28 cities in England, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Australia. It examines experiences to date, of moving towards a directed mayoral position in countries which have many similarities with Ireland and therefore there is much which could be drawn upon in helping policy-makers in this country understand the role of such mayors.
The report was prepared in the knowledge that local referenda would be taking place across England. The results of these are now known and it is fair to acknowledge the generally poor response of most of the relevant local electorates to the concept of a directly elected mayor. In a knock back to the current UK Government’s plans on “Localism” only one city voted in favour of introducing a directly elected mayor. The fact that local political party structures seem to have campaigned actively against the initiative may have had a bearing but more likely is that current voter apathy towards the Cameron Government is likely to have had a greater impact on the vote.
Nonetheless the thinking in the Warwick Commission Report is worthy of consideration and it would be regrettable if, from an Irish perspective, it was ignored.
The report notes that understanding the difference between power and powers of a mayor is critical to acknowledging the leadership role they can play. This reflects the thinking of the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, in his proposals on a Dublin Mayor. The Mayor does not necessarily have to have actual powers but the power that he/she would bring to the policy table based upon the power of democracy could be critical in getting other policy makers to focus on mayoral priorities. Such thinking is well established in other countries where, for example, mayors in New Zealand have what are known as “bully pulpit powers” which the Mayors interviewed for the Report acknowledged as significant in getting others to move towards their particular policy objectives.
Some of the most successful mayors internationally have moved from a position of having limited powers to having a substantive policy role at local level through their use of the power which comes through being democratically elected.
Nonetheless, the report does note the importance of the Mayor taking responsible roles in welfare, education, skills and social care, each a facet of modern urban living. The restriction of the mayoral role to existing local authority mandates in areas like transport, while important, is no longer appropriate particularly for cities which have a competitive role on a global scale. This, the report suggests will require more sophisticated local-centre dialogue and institutional arrangements. Such arrangements would certainly require elaboration in the Irish case if there were to be any moves towards a directly elected mayoral role in Ireland. In this context the report does issue a warning that simply putting a mayor on top of existing arrangements “is likely to be limited in their effectiveness”. Certainly something which would have to be fully appreciated given the disaggregated nature of Irish local government structures!
The report also highlights the reducing role of local political party structures in systems where directly elected mayors have been introduced, something which is also acknowledged in other countries such as Germany. The mayors increasingly see themselves as representing place and not party and that in this role they have to work with other local and national processes regardless of the political make up of those structures.
The report does, nonetheless, note the need for scrutiny of mayors through local councils and the key here is to have in place arrangements where both complement each other rather than undermine each others respective roles as this leads to conflict which can hold back a community.
A further important point, again worth consideration in the case of Ireland, is that the election of a mayor to have responsibility limited by the specific boundaries of a particular city may not be the optimum option, rather it is suggested that Mayors with a cross boundary, regional role would seem to be a more ideal model in light of internationalising influences and the need to position city-regions into a competitive environment which is global. Effective mayors they suggest are more likely to be those that place the city at the heart of their political agenda but within a regional context.
One other thorny issue is that of the mayor-chief executive officer relationship. Here they suggest that the best cases are those where mayors are relatively free to change existing management positions and roles. The introduction of such freedom in the Irish case would require a considerable shift in culture across both local and national government and across the political and administrative/technical pillars within local government.
Required reading for those arguing for and against the reform of local political structures in Ireland!
