From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Alan Dillon T.D. today (5 June 2024) welcomed the publication of the report on the review of local authority Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs), and the publication of the accompanying commentary authored by the Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) which oversaw, steered and guided the review.
The Minister said:
“Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) are key local authority committees bringing together both councillors and people working in communities with social, economic, cultural and environmental organisations to develop and review policies relating to council services. The role of SPCs is to advise and assist elected members in their work, so it is vital that they operate effectively; they prepare the ground work for policies that are then decided on by the local authority”.
In a process which began in October 2022, the review involved extensive consultation and was guided by a Stakeholder Working Group comprising representatives of all of those who participate in SPCs at local authority level. The review itself was undertaken by the Institute of Public Administration during 2023, with guidance from the SWG.
The review report and the SWG’s accompanying commentary may be found on the Department’s website.
The Minister added:
"This report and its recommendations will help to strengthen local authority SPCs and the policy-making role of local elected members. Both the report and the commentary document represent many months of hard work and deliberation by the members of the SWG. I want to take this opportunity to thank the SWG members for their time and commitment to this process, as well as the important perspectives they brought to bear on the review."
“The report and associated commentary contain a range of important and practical recommendations, which my officials have now begun to work through and implement. The first step will be to update the Guidelines to local authorities on the establishment and operation of SPCs, which will be issued before the incoming councils take up office following the 2024 local elections”, stated the Minister.