Latest delay shows that the Department is in control of the Minister, and has no appetite for political reformGreen Party Councillors across Dublin’s four Local Authorities have today expressed their disappointment in the latest delay on proposals for a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin.They accused Minister Eoghan Murphy of failing to follow through on reforming local government, and said his latest statements are a u-turn from his stated position just last week. Speaking today, Councillor Patrick Costello commented: “This is like an episode of ‘Yes Minister’. It is clear that officials in the Department of Housing, who have no appetite for political reform or truly empowering effective local government, are calling the shots and not the Minister. Reforming legislation was almost completed back in 2011, all of the issues had been teased out and ironed out at that point. That the Minister is now claiming otherwise shows he has been enthralled by his officials.”Councillor Ciarán Cuffe said “Dublin needs a directly-elected Mayor if it is to deliver key projects that will benefit the capital. It has taken fifteen years to connect the two Luas lines, and the Dublin Metro project has languished due to Cabinet dithering. A united voice for the nation's capital would provide the leadership and integration that is needed to deliver on much-needed infrastructure.”Councillor Claire Byrne said. “While this is disappointing, it is not surprising given the track record of Fine Gael. Just look at the efforts of Phil Hogan to derail the process when he was in the Customs House. It is clear that Fine Gael do not want meaningful local government reform or strong local democracy. They are not listening to the citizens who want a more sustainable, healthy, functioning city.”Councillor Roderic O'Gorman concluded: “Just last week the Government said that the plebiscite on directly elected Mayors would be held this October. This is a complete and sudden u-turn and shows the Minister is being led by his officials.”There are currently 8 Green Party Councillors across the Dublin Local Authorities – Patrick Costello, Claire Byrne and Ciaran Cuffe in Dublin City, Roderic O’Gorman and David Healy in Fingal, Francis Duffy in South Dublin and Ossian Smyth and Karen Furlong in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.Issued 24th January 2018, uploaded 25th January 2018