Sunday 26th June 2022 – The Citizens’ Assembly on a Directly Elected Mayor for Dublinhas today concluded its third in-person meeting at the Grand Hotel in Malahide, County Malahide.
The Assembly will now adjourn for the summer and will reconvene for two further sessions in September and October ahead of finalising its report and recommendations that will be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas at the end of the year.
Sunday’s meeting focussed on the business perspective on having a directly elected mayor for Dublin with presentations from both Dublin Chamber and Chambers Ireland, who said that the economic development of the city in recent times merits a review in how the capital is administered.
Members of the Assembly also reflected on all they had heard at the previous day’s session on Saturday that included contributions from former Taoiseach and Lord Mayor, Bertie Ahern, the Secretary General of the Department of Housing and Local Government, Graham Doyle, and the Chairman of the Implementation Advisory Group on a directly elected mayor for Limerick, Tim O’Connor. A series of academics from Trinity College, UCC, and DCU also spoke about the practicalities and scope of devolving powers from central to local government.
Speaking at the close of the meeting the Chairman of the Dublin Citizens’ Assembly Jim Gavin said, “I would like to thank all those who spoke to the Assembly this weekend for providing their knowledge and insight on how a Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin could operate. I would also like to reiterate my thanks to all members of Assembly who continue to give their time and who have embraced this opportunity to make a significant contribution to the future of Dublin City and County.
One hundred years on from the founding of the State, it is abundantly clear to the Assembly Members that local government in the city and county is in need of radical reform, to properly reflect the 21st century needs of the 1.4 million people who call Dublin their home.
A directly-elected mayor would be an accountable and visible force for impactful change in Dublin by creating a strategic vision and delivering the transformation of local government for our communities and businesses across the region, if entrusted with ambitious powers, responsibilities and funding.
“We have passed the midway point of the Dublin Citizens’ Assembly. In our three sessions to date we have heard about how the current system of local government in Dublin operates, how directly elected mayors work in other cities internationally, and the powers that a directly elected mayor for Dublin could have.
“These sessions are crucial in helping the Assembly consider all relevant issues as we build towards making our report and recommendations to the Houses of the Oireachtas that will have the potential to shape the direction of Dublin City and County for generations to come . There is still time for members of the public and groups to make submissions to the Assembly and have their say over the summer ahead of our autumn meetings and I would encourage anyone with an interest in making our city the best possible place to live, work and raise a family to do so.”
ENDS
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