Ulster Unionist Councillor Alexander Redpath has expressed his disappointment that an Ulster Unionist Party proposal to bring forward the recording of Council meetings was blocked by the DUP and TUV. Under the Local Government Act from April 1st 2015 local councils are obliged to make an audio recording of their meetings and make these available to the general public. Councillor Redpath, who represents the Ulster Unionist Party on Lisburn City and Castlereagh District Council, had proposed that the recordings begin in January 2015.
Speaking after the result, Councillor Redpath said:
"I am deeply disappointed that the DUP chose to block this proposal. The new Super-Councils are supposed to usher in a new era of transparency and accountability in local government. I believe we should act within the spirit of the Local Government Act and make these recordings available to the public as soon as possible.
“Council meetings are already open to the public but in the digital age it's unreasonable to expect people to give up their evening to physically attend council. I believe it would be of huge benefit to the general public and the media to be able to listen to proceedings from the comfort of their own homes.
“I will continue to campaign for openness and transparency in the new Lisburn City and Castlereagh District Council."
ENDS