This article appeared in The Mayo News on Tuesday, July 19, 2024.

On 1 June 2014, The Local Government Reform Act 2014 came into being. The Act marked “the most far-reaching change in structures, functions, operational arrangements and governance in the Irish local government system” since 1899, proclaimed then Local Government Minister, Phil Hogan. “The changes that are being made are radical, but they are necessary to bring our local government system up to date and to provide the kind of service our citizens and communities deserve.”

Fast forward a decade. Has this radical reform transformed local government in Ireland for the better? You’d better believe it has not.