Sinn Féin councillor Angela Donnelly has said that the budgetary process on Fingal County Council “lacks transparency.”
The Ongar councillor says she has been seeking budgetary workshops in Fingal County Council since she first tabled a motion in June.
The motion was finally heard on Monday 14th September, when she moved the motion as part of the Chief Executive’s report.
The motion called for the council to convene two workshops before the budget meeting in November.
In her contribution, she said, “there is a lack of transparency in our budgetary process: This prevents any meaningful scrutiny or collaboration.”
“As elected representatives, councillors have a duty to represent the interests of the electorate effectively and to ensure that local voices are heard in decision-making processes. There is a significant democratic deficit within local government, which is undermining public confidence in democratic institutions. A more balanced and collaborative approach to governance, with greater power-sharing and accountability, would strengthen local democracy and help ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the communities we serve,” she said.
The local democracy taskforce report’s Key Objective 7: is Local Government that is more accountable, with enhanced governance.
The report states that “councillors report that the presentation of financial information in its current format can be complex and highly technical, making it challenging to extract key insights efficiently. This can hinder the councillor in performing his or her democratic role to oversee funding, expenditure and performance throughout the financial year.”It calls for increased Budgetary Input.”
The report proposes granting councillors greater control, influence, and input into the development and execution of local authority budgets.
It seeks the establishment of a Finance Committee in every local authority, with oversight by the Council Oversight and Governance Committee, which will replace the CPG. and asks local authorities to take other steps to enhance the ongoing budgetary oversight of the local authority by Councillors.
Donnelly noted that the council oversight and governance committees have been recommended to play a central role in rebalancing power between Councillors and the executive.
It further states that “With regard to financial decision-making processes, the sequencing, quality of information, and councillor supports are critical.”
“Councillors should be enabled to make decisions with full financial context, and exercise ongoing oversight linked to strategic plans. While councillors have significant formal powers in adopting the annual budget, their ongoing role in monitoring financial performance is often underdeveloped. The creation of a finance committee in each local authority, and regular reporting in a format that is clearer, more accessible and councillor-focused will support effective oversight and decision-making by the plenary council.
Donnelly suggested “the least Fingal County Council can do” in the interim is to have budgetary workshops.