LIMERICK Mayor John Moran believes it is time an accelerated review of the Directly-Elected Mayor (DEM) legislation takes place.
Responding to a call from Limerick Chamber, who called on Ministers James Browne and John Cummins to initiate an immediate review, Mayor Moran questioned how anyone could argue against such a move.
The Chamber warned that any further delay risks squandering a major opportunity for meaningful local government reform and causing serious reputational damage to Limerick.
“How can anyone argue against an accelerated review when it is manifestly clear already that, with some important tweaks to the legislation, the role could be so much more effective and operate closer to the way the people of Limerick expected,” Mayor Moran told the Limerick Post.
“Many of the changes to be made have also already been analysed in detail. For example, simple improvements had been recommended by the Oireachtas committee as the legislation went through the Dáil, but were rejected at the time by the Government. We can now see that this was an error and so it is high time to reconsider those rejected proposals and do so fast.”
The Government has confirmed that a review is to place “by the end of this year”.
In a letter issued to both Ministers, the Chamber said there is an urgent need for decisive Government action to address fundamental legislative flaws governing the Office of the Directly Elected Mayor.
The Chamber argued that the current framework falls short of the ambition originally promised to Limerick and is failing to provide the Office of the Mayor with the authority, resources, and executive powers needed to deliver real progress.
Limerick Chamber pointed to growing uncertainty from the Government on the timing of the review, with conflicting indications as to when it will happen. The business representative body said this ambiguity is unhelpful, undermines confidence, and must be replaced by a clear commitment to an immediate review.
Under Section 7 of the Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2024, the Minister is required to review the operation and effectiveness of the Act no later than three years after the establishment day.
Limerick Chamber said there is nothing preventing that review from being brought forward, and that doing so is essential if the legislation is to be corrected before the issues compound further.
Critical weaknesses
Chamber CEO Donnacha Hurley said that “Limerick was promised a bold new model of local leadership with the ability to deliver progress, but what has emerged is a diluted structure that is already showing its limitations”.
“Every day that passes without an immediate review is a missed opportunity to put in place the kind of empowered, accountable governance Limerick needs to compete and grow. Continued delay not only weakens confidence, it also risks serious reputational damage to Limerick as a place that is unable to deliver on its own reform agenda.”
Limerick Chamber says it has consistently supported the principle of a directly-elected mayor. However, it argued the legislation as enacted failed to establish the mayor as the executive head of local government, instead creating a role that is disconnected from the operational and strategic levers needed to fulfil an electoral mandate.
In its formal submission to the Department in October 2023, prior to enactment of the legislation, Limerick Chamber identified several “critical weaknesses” in the bill, including the failure to make the mayor head of the organisational structure, the absence of full executive powers across key areas such as housing, budget preparation, and HR, and a lack of clarity around reporting lines and responsibilities.
The Chamber said the deficiencies it warned about in 2023 are now plainly visible.
Sean Golden, chief economist and director of policy at Limerick Chamber, said: “Limerick Chamber called these issues out clearly in October 2023, before this legislation was enacted. We set out practical, evidence-based amendments to ensure the Office of the Mayor would have the executive authority, operational control, and organisational clarity required to succeed and deliver on their mandate. Those warnings were not adequately addressed, and the problems we identified in advance are now materialising in exactly the way we feared.”
“That is why this review must happen immediately, and why it must result in substantive legislative change rather than cosmetic adjustment.”
Limerick Chamber called on the Government to use the review process to address the legislation’s core weaknesses, removing the ambiguity currently hampering effective leadership, and ensuring the legislation delivers the transformative reform that was promised.
‘Three-pillar structure’
In response, the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage said that the Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2024 provides for a directly-elected Mayor of Limerick with executive functions.
“It changed the previous ‘two-pillar’ structure, with the elected Council and the chief executive performing the functions of Limerick City and County Council, to a ‘three-pillar’ structure composed of the elected Council; the directly-elected mayor; and the director general (formerly the chief executive),” the Department told the Limerick Post.
The Department took the view that the legislation provides for, and clearly sets out, the roles of the mayor and the director general, while respecting the democratic role of the elected council.
“The legislation provides that the Minister would review its operation and effectiveness not later than three years after the establishment of the Mayoral office. The period of three years was viewed as the appropriate balance between needing a mechanism to assess the new office in a timely way, while also allowing time for the new arrangements to bed down in Limerick.
“This review will be conducted in due course, and is being prepared to begin by the end of this year,” the Department concluded.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme