Local Area Boundary Committee, Room 1.77 The Custom House, Dublin 1 By email 23 January 2013
Dear Secretary,
In my capacity as the Fine Gael Councillor for the South East Inner City of Dublin, and a resident of that electoral area, I would like to make the following points to the Local Area Boundary Committee. I fully support the submission of the Fine Gael Dublin Bay South (Dublin South East) Constituency Organisation.
On a preliminary point, I do not believe that the increase in the number of Councillors in Dublin City is warranted. There are enormous challenges facing the city, and the State, at the moment; political reform must form part of our answer to these challenges. More politicians, on the other hand, is rarely the solution to any problem, and is definitely not the answer in the present circumstances. Our goal should be an accountable local political system with real powers, with Councillors able to respond to the needs of local communities, and an open and accountable national political system, with Oireachtas members focused on national issues, allowing both systems to work in an efficient and cost effective manner. Increasing the number of City Councillors in an unreformed system, and increasing the size of the areas they will represent, are both steps away from achieving this goal.
General Points
In redrawing the local electoral boundaries in Dublin, the Local Area Boundary Committee should seek to unite rather than divide communities. I have seen first-hand the effect that the division of Sandymount has had on local organisations and businesses, who have had to deal with ten Councillors from two distinct electoral areas in relation to any issues affecting, for example, Sandymount Green (the focal point of the community). This simply makes it much more difficult to get anything done in the divided area. Sandymount should be re-united. Similarly, Terenure should be re-unified at local government level, and the urban villages of Terenure, Harold’s Cross, Rathmines, Rathgar, Ranelagh, Milltown, Donnybrook, Ballsbridge, Merrion, Sandymount, Irishtown, Ringsend and Portobello should be kept intact. Electoral areas, historic or more recent, should also be respected. The historic areas of the Inner City, Pembroke and Rathmines, as clearly visible in the names of the District Electoral Divisions, should where possible be respected, to ensure continuity of representation.
The Committee in its work should respect the major geographical boundaries, both natural and man-made, which help to define areas of the city. The North/South divide of the city by the Liffey should be maintained. The Grand Canal serves as a boundary in the inner city area, physically preventing movement between Portobello and the Rathmines area, and this should be respected. (This would also respect the old Rathmines Township, with its separate history of local government). The N11, as the national primary road in the area, is also a significant physical boundary.
Finally, in the interests of consistency and continuity of representation, all boundaries should if at all possible, reflect the current Dáil boundaries. It would be perverse if the Constituency Commission’s re-unification of Terenure was not reflected in a re-unification at local government level.
Dividing Dublin Bay South
In light of the above observations, I submit that Dublin Bay South should be divided to form two electoral areas. The historic Inner City (Wood Quay A+B, St. Kevins, Mansion House A+B, Royal Exchange A+B, South Dock) should be combined with the old Pembroke Ward (Pembroke East A,B,C,D+E, Pembroke West A,B+C) to form one seven-seater electoral area. The old Rathmines Ward should be combined with Terenure/Harold’s Cross to form another seven-seater (Rathmines East A,B,C+D, Rathmines West A,B,C,D,E,F, Rathfarnham, Terenure A,B,C+D).
This meets exactly the terms of reference of the Committee, allowing the Committee to respect local and community identities and linkages, and allowing you to take account as much as possible of the existing local authority electoral and administrative areas. It also takes account of the physical constraints in the area, and it makes historical as well as social and physical sense.
I would like to wish the committee well in this important work which will shape local government in the city and in the country for many years to come.
Kind regards,
____________________ Cllr. Kieran Binchy