The small survey that I have done on the idea of a new mayor for Dublin does not bode well for John Gormley’s big idea.

• Only one in three support the idea.

Clearly people have different reasons for their opposition.

• Some see it as simply another layer in an already bloated government for the city and
• Others feel the proposed powers are too limited.

I think this scepticism about the idea is entirely justified. It is not that having a directly elected mayor is a bad idea, but if it is to work, the new office must rationalise existing structures to make local government more efficient and more effective in the city. The new elected mayor must have real powers to deliver in areas that matter to voters.

The trouble with John Gormley’s proposal is that he offers the worst of all worlds – a new layer of bureaucracy, without any serious powers to do anything. Beneath the new offices of mayor, everything remains just as it was before.

• All the key functions remain to be implemented by the four existing local authorities.
• The new mayor has no revenue-raising powers and no budget.
• The four local authorities are not obliged to take the mayor’s views on board except in respect of regional planning guidelines, which are anyhow likely to be published before the mayor is elected.
• The role of chairing the Dublin Regional Transport Authority was originally promised to the mayor but this Authority has been abolished so a role in transport yet to be found.

So what are we left with, the only power that is being given is to draw up strategic plans in areas of land use planning, waste management and water services for implementation at the local level. Of course what is not indicated is that the funding of any such plans will entirely depend on the approval of the Department of the Environment. The Minister is asking people to go to the polls to choose a mayor who would shape the way the city should develop, but the Minister himself retains the key choices about what projects will be funded.

It is not only his political opponents that are finding fault with this. In recent days I have been contacted by the Dublin City Business Association and by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, all of whom are highly critical of the Minister’s proposals. They are both bodies who pioneered the idea of a single mayor who would promote Dublin’s economic interests and drive a strategy for the success of the city. These organisations have been the key advocates for a directly elected mayor so the loss of their support is a particularly significant blow to the Minister’s idea.

Clearly the Minister is afraid of any serious restructuring of the four local authorities to achieve far-reaching reform that would rationalise functions and allow more effective organisational structures to develop.

The public should not be pawned off with what is no more than a political fig leaf to clothe the seething disagreements between the partners in government on how local government should be organised.