Clare Social Housing Chair Fears Local Authorities Becoming Irrelevant Due To Reduced Powers

It's been suggested people will be discouraged from running for local government in Clare if the powers of the local authority are further reduced. It comes as a new Council of Europe report has described Ireland as "one of the most centralised countries in Europe", citing local authorities' limited decision-making powers, insufficient financial resources and restricted autonomy. Ireland has one of the lowest scores under the Local Autonomy Index and is ranked just above Hungary, Russia and Moldova. Clare Social Housing Committee Chair and Shannon Councillor Gerry Flynn insists that more and more, decision-making is becoming centralised and local councillors have less control over how their constituencies are ran.