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Councillors and councils

  • 20-04-2015 8:37pm
    #1
    gutteruu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭


    Was asked during an interview with the council last year to explain the relationship and influence between councillors and councils. I didn't know at the time but I have another interview coming up and said I would try figure it out.

    Anyone explain it simply to me? Just a line or two to get me passed the question.

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    Wise Old Elf
    Moderators Posts: 3,554 ✭✭✭Wise Old Elf


    gutteruu wrote: »
    Was asked during an interview with the council last year to explain the relationship and influence between councillors and councils. I didn't know at the time but I have another interview coming up and said I would try figure it out.

    Anyone explain it simply to me? Just a line or two to get me passed the question.

    Thanks

    I'll give it a shot!
    As the elected representatives, councillors are supposed to direct the council's policies, e.g. they approve the development plan, housing policy, waste management plan, annual budget, etc. It is then the Council's job to implement these policies as per the various plans.
    In reality, most of the plans are prepared by Council staff under direction of the CEO (county manager), councillors can't really change them too much, it's usually tinkering rather than wholesale changes. The councillors are a bit like a board of directors I suppose (but maybe with less power).

    Anyway, Look up the difference between 'reserved' and 'executive' functions for Councils and it'll give you an idea of who does what.

    Hope that's some help, good luck with the interview.

    Edit: link to Cork coco list of reserved functions. Everything else is for the CEO to do
    http://www.corkcity.ie/yourcouncil/managementsystem/reservedfunctions/


  • #3
    gutteruu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭gutteruu


    Thats perfect. Exactly what I was after. Much appreciated.


  • #4
    Uncle Ben
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,843 ✭✭✭Uncle Ben


    gutteruu wrote: »
    Thats perfect. Exactly what I was after. Much appreciated.

    Make sure you know how many councillors there are and how many municipal districts / electoral areas.


  • #5
    gutteruu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭gutteruu


    Sorry to dig up an old thread but I'm trying for more interviews. Question I got asked the last time is, do councillors have influence over each dept. budgets and how much influence on money do councillors have.


  • #6
    expectationlost
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,140 ✭✭✭✭expectationlost


    gutteruu wrote: »
    Sorry to dig up an old thread but I'm trying for more interviews. Question I got asked the last time is, do councillors have influence over each dept. budgets and how much influence on money do councillors have.

    is self directed research going to be part of your job?

    see presentations given to (new) councillors here http://www.ailg.ie/training-resources/ and here http://councillors.ie/
    Local Government and the Elected Member part 1 -3 http://environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/LocalGovernmentAdministration/ on the right

    pick your council and watch the budget meeting and read the draft/budget docs that are worked on by the party leaders/Corporate policy group and executive up to the budget meeting/vote ( at budget meetings there usually just some headline grabbing trivial move about putting conferences spend into homeless services, that's about it)

    cllrs don't have big influence on money but they have more now with property tax see http://fingal.ie/media/FAQ%20Local%20Property%20Tax.pdf

    Putting people first current gov policy http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/LocalGovernmentReform/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,31309,en.pdf


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