The erosion of South Tipperary Authority has just gained pace,” McGrath Independent TD Mattie McGrath has expressed his grave concern about the implications for South Tipperary as a locus for regional and County Authority arising from the appointment of Mr. Joe McGrath as joint Manager for North and South Tipperary County Councils. Deputy McGrath was speaking after the news broke that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan has today signed the relevant orders to allow the appointment of Mr McGrath who is North Tipperary County Councils current County Manager: “The announcement today has come as a huge surprise and it has created a very irritated sentiment among elected representatives County Council staff in South Tipperary. We were assured that this element of the amalgamation process would not occur until after the Local Elections in 2014. The fact that it has occurred at this time and almost completely out of the blue cannot but leave the impression that there is a unspoken agenda here to increase the influence of North Tipperary at the expense of South Tipperary. Although I have been communicating this fear for a number of years now the action that has been taken today by this Minister has just solidified and confirmed that fear.” The process of amalgamation is part of the controversial package of measures contained in reforms to Local Government and outlined in the Putting People First policy document initiated by Minister Hogan. The measures have met with strong resistance and objections from Council and County Authorities right across the County: “It needs to be said that this is most certainly not a personality issue, indeed I have the utmost respect for the professional integrity of Joe McGrath as North Tipperary County Manager. My fears surround the inevitable reduction in services and representation that are coming down the road for South Tipperary on foot of what can only be called the anti-democratic effects which must necessarily follow from the agenda this Minister is driving. The whole process smacks of the disdain for consultation that has characterised this Minister and it will not be tolerated. As an elected member of Dáil Éireann for South Tipperary I can assure you that I have no plans to sit back and idly watch as the authority and influence of South Tipperary are eroded to the point of being ineffectual. The Minister will soon discover that his agenda will not be so easily forced on the people of South Tipperary as he seems to think it will,” concluded Deputy McGrath.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 21:59:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015