New dawn for local democracy in Mayo and hopefully a more enlightening one

EDITORIAL

As the pillars are being set in place for a new era of local democracy in Mayo, it must be hoped that new voices work in partnership with established ones in creating a better county.

There is little question the council that served from 2019 to 2024 did not have it easy in terms of getting many projects over the line despite an overall spend in excess of €2 billion, many of the bigger investments having been in the pipeline prior to 2019.

The impact of the Covid pandemic, the housing crisis and the challenges surrounding immigration were a significant distraction over the past five years.

Consequently, many of those re-elected to office can be more hopeful of progress being achieved on priority projects like affordable housing and the tackling of urban decay and dereliction.

Councillors elected to urban centres will be keen to see an increase in outdoor staff numbers to help keep all of our streets, parks and other amenities maintained to a higher standard, thus generating greater pride in communities, particularly those still bemoaning the loss of their town councils.

The very least councillors are entitled to is to see action being taken within a reasonable time frame when they raise concerns brought to their attention by members of the public.

While it is accepted that certain procedures must be followed, there is nothing more frustrating for elected representatives than to see matters being left on the long finger despite them being highlighted time and again.

It is essential for each of the municipal districts to sit down over the coming weeks to set their main priorities, let the public know, and then focus solely on their realisation over the next five years without distraction.

This should be top of the agenda - not who holds the balance of power or who gets the position of cathaoirleach and who does not.

The key to successful local democracy is a partnership approach between councillors and council officials, a relationship that must be based on consistently clear communications and mutual trust as well as an avoidance of animosity.

The county has placed its faith in a newly elected council to bring forward, in conjunction with the council staff, further improvements across Mayo over the next five years by working constructively.

That entails leaving politics outside the door and always being conscious of the proverbial bigger picture.

While it may be too much to expect in the real world, there's no reason why the Mayo County Council of 2024-2029 should not at least strive to be best in class, so to speak.

We live in hope.