NILGA members respond to RPA Emerging Findings

NILGA Response to RPA Emerging Findings

Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) members have expressed their deep concerns at the emerging findings of the Review of Local Government Aspects of the Review of Public Administration.

Concerns

NILGA believe that the proposals go some way to delivering against the agenda outlined in the NILGA manifesto for Strong Effective Local Government particularly in relation to Planning, Community Planning, Modernisation, and a statutory system of governance.

Over 120 elected members and officers from local government expressed their deep concern and frustration at the stakeholder event in Cookstown on the 24th of October when civil servants presented the findings in further detail.

Functions

NILGA believe that the following functions are best delivered by local government:

• Planning - to include area planning delivered on a group basis.
  
• Local roads - to include a creative and integrated delivery model avoiding any diseconomies of transfer to local government.
  
• Regeneration - subsequent to focussed attention to address the DSD caveats which NILGA contends are distasteful and unjustified.
  
• NIHE functions (excluding Supporting People and travellers sites).
  
• Youth Services.
  
• Libraries.
  
• Greater transfer of local economic development powers including control of the Invest NI land bank, local product development and marketing.
  
• A wider rural development role including farm diversification and product development.
  
• The NI Harbours and Fisheries Authority.

Additionally, NILGA would also welcome the transfer of the NI Fire and Rescue Service and the Trading Standards function together with further exploration of a strengthened role in public health provision and passenger transport.

For further documents see the NILGA website.