Since the advent of Ireland’s membership of the European Union(or Common Market as it was called in 1973), Ireland’s environmental legislation has largely been driven by the regulations and directives coming out of the negotiations in Brussels between the Member … Continue reading →

The Irish Branch of the Regional Studies Association, the School of Economics UCC and the South West Regional Authority is organising a one day conference on the capacity of regions to respond to economic shock. It will take place at … Continue reading →

In a useful contribution to the thinking currently underway at European level concerning the development of the 7th Action Programme for the Environment, the Committee of the Regions has highlighted a renewed role for local government in the development of … Continue reading →

Renehan Hall, NUI Maynooth Monday 21 January 2013, 10.00-17:00 The recently announced Action Programme for Local Government includes substantial changes to the organisation of regional government and governance in Ireland. The current eight regional authorities and two regional assemblies will … Continue reading →

One of the long-standing challenges confronting successive governments over the past twenty years was that of aligning local government and local development. Various initiatives, from the Task Force on Local Development and Local Government through to the Cohesion Process under … Continue reading →

The local government policy reforms published recently suggest a significant reconfiguration of regional government in Ireland. Currently 8 regional authorities and 2 regional assemblies are responsible for the implementation of regional planning guidelines, the implementation of regional EU programmes and … Continue reading →

The local government reforms announced by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on the 16th October received relatively limited coverage in the national media. The coverage primarily focused on the abolishment of the 80 town councils, missing, … Continue reading →

After almost eighteen months of expectation, frustration and indeed criticism, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has finally got Government approval for his local government reform statement. Against the backdrop of argument on the rights and wrongs … Continue reading →

One of the long-standing views of local government is that it is neither local nor government but rather a form of administration answerable directly to the national government. The policy statement seems to acknowledge this perspective and to address this … Continue reading →

The Reform Programme sets out its rationale for undertaking comprehensive reform of local government. It is based upon factors that include: • recognition that local democracy is an essential feature of a robust system of representative democracy which can bring … Continue reading →