Local Government Reform

[simon]

The DOLGE proposal is that local government should be divided between new 'Area Authorities' : North - South - East and West + Douglas.

 

And an additional layer / structure to be called 'Community Councils'. With limited powers according to the DOLGE report which is at :

 

http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/dlge/legislatio...lastructure.pdf

 

PROS:

 

* Fewer contracts and hence lower costs in the long term

 

* Standard systems and contracts

 

* DOLGE to pass responsibility for their housing stock to the area authorities. Page 3 of a Tynwald Hansard report at http://www.tynwald.org.im/papers/hansards/...ths13072004.pdf details shocking rent arrears. With DOLGE owed nearly £220k of unpaid rents.

 

CONS:

 

* Costs of the merger and inevitable teething problems

 

* Possible danger of standards being brought down to a lowest common standard.

 

For example, I was suprised to learn recently that not all of the current local authorities actually collect all of the rates due to them. With most of the local authorities, The Treasury collects the rates. But the Treasury fails to collect 100% of the rates due.

 

EDIT: I think that I support the proposals, in general. But I hope that there will be a standard policy, from now on, of enforcing the 100% collection of rates and rents.

[Upstream]

But if you make folk pay the rent and rates, then The Brewery will lose out.

 

And that just isn't on, is it. They really really run our Island from what I can make out.

 

 

and the 'tabacconists' and the grey economy etc and et al as they say . . .

[Josie]

In my opinion I think it's a good idea. We are an island of ~70,000. It seems ridiculous to me to divide the common services we receive into 9 discrete service providers.

 

Small parishes can not afford to have refuse collected on a weekly basis nor to provide street lighting after midnight. Yet the larger commissioners and boroughs have surplus funds that require 'spending' prior to the end of the fiscal year.

 

Douglas rate payers spend well over £100,000 on the provision of public convieniences (can't quite remember the exact figure - I think its nearer £200k).

 

Economies of scale will mean that services will be cheaper thus lowering the average cost for everyone.

 

Why should people in Braddan pay less than those in Douglas? Residents in Braddan will use Douglas services as well.

 

Smaller communities will see an improvement in refuse collection and street lighting.

 

And there will be fewer local elections!