Citizens Information service in Kildare under threat due to drastic restructuring

Proposals to restructure the South Kildare Citizens Information service in Kildare has left the board of the service very worried at the prospects that the move could be very damaging and threaten its independence and impartiality.

Kildare Citizens Information service is like most others in the country- it was set up by volunteers on an unpaid basis to provide for the local community. There are 42 services in the country in total, but the Citizens Information Board in Dublin now want to readjust the structure by dividing it into eight regions, bringing an end to the local connection with the community according to the board of the Kildare service.

The Citizens Information Services in Kildare would become part of a big region with four other counties; Louth, Meath, Westmeath and Longford.  This Region will be run by a Board but not one that is drawn from the local community, close to the people that are served in that community.

Jim Blighe, Chairman of the Board said that:

“The restructuring proposal is fundamentally flawed because it is not evidence based and would effectively dismantle an independent Citizens Information structure that has evolved and has been tried and tested  over the last 40 years – it is particularly poignant that this is happening within a few months of our celebration last November of 40 years of Citizens Information in Kildare”.

South Kildare Citizens Information Services runs three offices in Newbridge, Naas and Athy.

Citizens Information Services were started in the 1970’s by local people who wanted to help their communities by giving information and advice on public services:

“It wasn’t a case of the government rolling out a strategy to set up these services across the country. The Services started with local groups of volunteers coming together in their own local areas and establishing and providing an information service back in the 1970s. These pioneering volunteers identified the supports citizens needed long before there were strategy documents, consultants, or funding available to develop services,”continued Mr Bligh.

Over the years, Services opened all over the Country – now 42 in total.  These are organised on a County basis, apart from cities like Dublin, Cork, where there are more than one service.   As the Services expanded and demand from the public grew, some paid staff were added to help with the workload and the Citizens Information Board in Dublin now funds the services.

Volunteers are still an essential part of the Services – particularly in Kildare.  South Kildare Citizens Information is an independent company and a Registered Charity and is run by a voluntary Board, comprised of local Kildare people.  Volunteers are also a vital part of the day-to-day work of providing information to the public:

“We have shown over the years that this local involvement in essential to the service – our clients know that this is a local service, provided by local people.  We know our community and know what the needs are and our clients know that we are independent of Government Departments and State Companies, and that we will always give impartial and independent advice.  This is guaranteed by having the local voluntary Board running the service in a fully independent and impartial way," he said.

“The decision to regionalise the service will have a direct impact on the service particularly how it is influenced at a local level and how it responds to local needs - it will undermine the independence of the service and the strong community ethos and volunteer nature of the service.  We will see a larger regional structure imposed with more central control as opposed to the current community model operating in each local area responding to local need”.

The Citizens Information Services board have appealed to Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, and various public representatives from Kildare to call a halt to the restructuring when the motion is debated in the Dáil next Tuesday.