Councillor Mary Hanna Hourigan is the first elected member from Tipperary County Council to hold the position of President of the Association of Irish Local Government (the representative body for 950 city and county councillors). In this special Q&A with Council Review she outlines some main items on the agenda during her 2025-2026 term of office.
Local Democracy Taskforce: The Cabinet’s formal approval to establish a Local Democracy Taskforce represents a landmark development for local government reform in Ireland. Five councillors have been appointed to ensure the voices of elected representatives are central to the deliberations and outcomes of the Taskforce, due to report within the next nine months.
Q: What are the AILG’s main recommendations in highlighting a growing democratic deficit in the local government sector, thereby giving councillors greater powers in the decision-making process within their local and regional communities?
A: The establishment of the Local Democracy Taskforce is a landmark opportunity to address what councillors across the country have long identified – a growing democratic deficit in our local government system. Ireland remains one of the most centralised states in Europe, with too many key decisions still being taken at national or agency level, far removed from the communities they affect.
The AILG’s core objective is to ensure that councillors are recognised and empowered as the democratic policy leaders of local government. This means rebalancing the relationship between the executive and the elected council, so that policy primacy rests firmly with councillors. As envisaged under Section 130 of the Local Government Act 2001, councillors must not simply oversee administration but must lead on policymaking, budget-setting, and strategic development.
Our key recommendations include:
- Embedding subsidiarity in practice – decisions made at the level closest to citizens, with meaningful devolution of functions such as housing, transport, climate action, community safety, and local enterprise to councils.
- Strengthening reserved functions – expanding councillors’ statutory powers so that all new strategies and policies require democratic approval before implementation.
- Reinforcing scrutiny and oversight – ensuring councillors have the resources, information, and statutory rights to hold the executive accountable for service delivery.
- Recognising AILG as a statutory policy stakeholder – placing the Association on a formal footing in all national–local consultations and reforms, so the collective voice of elected members informs policy at the earliest stage.
- Supporting councillor professionalism – investing in continuous professional development, technical advice, and capacity building so that elected members are equipped to fulfil their increasingly complex role.
Ultimately, this is about restoring trust in local democracy by ensuring that decisions affecting people’s everyday lives are made by those elected to represent them – their local councillors.
Q: As AILG President how will you advocate for meaningful reforms through the work of the Local Democracy Taskforce to ensure that your Association remains a strong advocate for local government?
A: As President of the AILG, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that the Taskforce delivers reforms which make a real and lasting difference for councillors and the communities they represent.
My focus will be on advocating for a genuine programme of subsidiarity and devolution, so that decisions are taken closer to the people and councils are given the authority and resources to lead in key areas such as housing, climate action, transport, and community development.
I will also make the case for a fundamental rebalancing of the relationship between the executive and the elected council, ensuring that councillors have primacy in setting policy and that the executive is fully accountable to the democratic mandate of elected members. At the same time, I want to ensure that councillors are properly supported to carry out this demanding role – through continuous professional development, access to technical expertise, and the recognition of AILG as the statutory body representing councillors in all national-local consultations.
By combining principled advocacy with robust evidence from our research and international best practice, I will work to make sure the Taskforce produces reforms that strengthen democracy, empower councillors, and enhance the capacity of local government to deliver for communities.
Presidential Nominations: With two candidates in the race to the Áras to become the 10th President of Ireland, there have been calls to change the overall nomination process and to give councillors greater freedom to nominate candidates for the next election.
Q: What’s your opinion on giving councillors greater freedom in the nomination process, to open the arena for more potential candidates to enter future presidential elections?
A: The AILG fully supports the provisions of Article 12 of the Constitution, which rightly gives local authorities a route to nominate candidates for the highest office in the State. This reflects the important democratic role of local government and ensures that councillors, as directly elected public representatives, have a voice in the process.
That said, AILG is very mindful that many of our members are affiliated to political parties. As an Association, it would not be our role to interfere with or comment on the internal decisions or instructions of political parties regarding presidential nominations.
What I do support is an open and balanced debate about how councillors can best contribute to ensuring the widest possible democratic choice for the electorate. Councillors are closest to the communities they represent, and their role in shaping and supporting the democratic process – including presidential nominations – is a vital one.
Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan, a member of the Tipperary Cahir Cashel Municipal, was elected President at the Association’s AGM in Mullingar on 24 July for the 2025-2026 term. With 16 years’ experience as a councillor on Tipperary County Council and over a decade of active involvement with AILG, she has contributed to the AILG through key roles, including Vice President, a member of the Executive, and delegate to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE).
