PPN Secretariat Network calls for investment in participatory democracy in Ireland

Established in 2014, Ireland’s 31 PPNs now connect more than 23,500 community and voluntary, social inclusion and environmental organisations, involving more than 800,000 people nationwide. PPNs provide a structured mechanism through which communities can influence local decision-making, participate in consultations and ensure that local knowledge and lived experience inform public policy.

PPNs currently have more than 800 representatives serving on committees and inter-agency structures, including 409 representatives on local authority Strategic Policy Committees.

The PPN Secretariat Network believes this represents a significant achievement for participatory democracy in Ireland.

Charles Stanley-Smith from Tipperary PPN said: “PPNs have created something unique: a structured and democratic way for thousands of community organisations and hundreds of thousands of citizens to have their voices heard in local decision-making. But the system has now reached a point where its responsibilities and membership have grown considerably faster than the resources available to support it.”

The Network is therefore proposing that the annual budgets provided to PPNs by both central government and local authorities be doubled.

At present, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht provides approximately €100,540 per PPN, while local authorities contribute approximately €30,000 annually. The proposal would increase these amounts to approximately €201,000 and €60,000 respectively.

The additional investment would allow PPNs to provide greater support and training to member organisations, increase community networking, expand representation on inter-agency structures and play a stronger role in national and local consultation processes.

It would also enable PPNs to develop innovative community-led responses to challenges such as housing, disability, social inclusion and climate change, while helping them to attract and retain appropriately skilled staff.

The Network says that increased investment would benefit not only community organisations but also government departments and local authorities.

PPNs provide a ready-made mechanism through which public bodies can engage with thousands of community organisations. A typical PPN newsletter can include numerous opportunities for consultation, allowing government departments and local authorities to reach a broad and diverse cross-section of communities.

Mr Stanley-Smith said: “The choice is not simply about funding PPNs; it is about what kind of democracy we want to build. Better-resourced PPNs mean better opportunities for citizens to participate, better information for decision-makers and stronger relationships between communities and public bodies.”

The Network maintains that without PPNs, Ireland would lose its principal structured mechanism for community participation in local democracy. More than 23,500 organisations would lose a coordinated route into local decision-making, while local authorities would lose an important mechanism for gathering community insight and reaching organisations across their areas.

The PPN Secretariat Network believes that the next stage in the development of PPNs should be towards greater citizen participation, empowerment and influence.

Mr Stanley-Smith added: “PPNs have demonstrated what participatory democracy can achieve. With appropriate investment, they can do considerably more. We now have an opportunity to strengthen one of the most inclusive mechanisms for community participation in local government and ensure that the voices of communities remain at the heart of decision-making in Ireland.”