Ulster Unionist Councillor Stephen Nicholl has welcomed the support of Mid and East Antrim Council in calling for the Minister of the Environment to reconsider his Department’s support for an all-Ireland local government organisation.

The Ballymena Councillor said;

“The Minister of the Environment has funded the establishment of an all-Ireland council framework, administered by Co-operation Ireland, with a remit to deliver joint projects, seminars and networking to supposedly facilitate shared learning. While the establishment of such a body may meet the Minister’s political agenda, it unfortunately fails to deliver the support the local government reform agenda Northern Ireland requires.

“Many Councils are already identifying examples of good practice and good governance, which will help deliver effective and efficient local government, within the rest of the United Kingdom. The relationships that need to be developed for the benefit of our ratepayers are with the rest of the United Kingdom. For example in relation to the new ‘community planning’ function it is widely recognised that Scotland is the place to learn from in regards to best practice. 

“I am pleased that Mid and East Antrim Council has agreed to write to the Minister pointing out that by pursuing what appears to be his own narrow political agenda and excluding the rest of the United Kingdom, he is undermining the future development of good governance in Northern Ireland. I hope he will now agree to also include Councils from across the United Kingdom in any structures he establishes.”

Recently appointed Ulster Unionist Environment spokesperson Sandra Overend MLA added; 

“The whole point of Local Government reform was to deliver better services, more efficiently. Given our Councils are going through the biggest period of reform in generations, it is vital that they have the right training structures in place and learn from the best examples of good practice elsewhere.

“By pursuing an all-Ireland only agenda however, and potentially disregarding equally good, if not better, examples across the rest of the UK, the Minister would be irresponsibly restricting Council’s learning here. I agree with the decision by Mid and East Antrim Council to call on the Minister to look beyond simply an all-Ireland training body and I will be calling for the same of him in the Assembly.”