Assembly must decide on Council Configuration as soon as possible - Hatch
Efforts to deliver better public services will continue to be hampered so long as there is ambiguity over the future configuration of local councils here, according to Ulster Unionist councillor Ald Arnold Hatch.
Mr Hatch, the Ulster Unionist spokesperson on NILGA’s RPA Group, said that vital issues – such how to address anti-social behaviour – are being tied up in bureaucracy.
In a statement, Mr Hatch said: “Regarding RPA proposals, Direct Rule Ministers failed to adopt the consensus view. Ministers ignored the views of four of the five main political parties. The result has been uncertainty and division.
“Now that the Northern Ireland Assembly will be up and running in May it is imperative that RPA issues are resolved as soon as possible so that the groupings of councils can begin to seriously collaborate and modernise.”
He added: “Inefficiencies are frustrating the everyday work of councillors. Antisocial behaviour is a major issue, for example, but too many agencies – like the Community Safety Partnership, the District Policing Partnership, the Education and Library Board’s Youth Service, the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, community groups and social services – are involved.
“What we have is a system that creates logjams. We need a streamlined system that delivers results. Our citizens deserve more than this, and the sooner there is clarity and direction the better.”