Review of Local Government

REVIEW OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The NI Executive agreed in July to the detailed proposals for a review of the local government aspects of the Review of Public Administration in the context of Devolved Government and wider decisions on the RPA implementation programme. These proposals included the Terms of Reference for the review, governance arrangements, timeline and key milestones.

The review considered what local government is expected to deliver in the context of a fully-functioning devolved Assembly and Executive, and was undertaken via three distinct but interlinking strands. The first strand focused on developing a shared vision for local government in Northern Ireland. The second on the numbers of councils and the third looked at the functions to transfer to local government.  The review also looked at the decisions of the previous administration to develop a council-led community planning process and the complementary power of well-being.

The review was overseen by a sub-committee of the Executive, reporting to the Executive as a whole. The sub-committee was chaired by the Minister for the Environment, Arlene Foster MLA, and included the DRD, DSD, and DHSSPS ministers, given their interest in significant transferring functions. The DFP minister was also a member of the group given the significant financial implications of what was considered. The sub committee was designed to deliver the involvement of the four parties represented on the Executive, but also involved those Ministers with the most significant interest in the RPA decisions being reviewed.  

The Minister has now reported to the Executive and Assembly. An emerging findings paper was considered by the Executive in October. A process of further engagement with departments and stakeholders took place to refine the findings, with the sub-committee then presenting a final report to the Executive with a view to the Executive announcing its decisions to the Assembly and the public in early 2008.

Work on modernising local government is being driven forward in parallel with the work to review the RPA structural and functional decisions.