Councillors unhappy with exclusion from key bodies

Councillors unhappy with exclusion from key bodies

22 May 2019

SEVERAL politicians have criticised the decision by the main parties to exclude them from a number of important local authority bodies.

A number of Independent and Alliance councillors have expressed frustration at not being represented on the East Border Region Committee, the influential Strategic Project Working Group, the party representatives’ forum and the panel that will help choose a successor to current chief executive Liam Hannaway, who is to retire.

The decision by Sinn Fein, the SDLP, UUP and DUP to exclude Alliance and Independent councillors from key positions in the new council term was agreed at a mock annual meeting held last week to determine positions on various committees and bodies. The decision was rubber-stamped at Monday night’s AGM.

During the last council term, five Independent councillors and those from smaller parties opted to form a technical group which allowed them representation on key council groupings. 

The technical group has been reformed by Alliance councillors Patrick Brown and Gregory Bain, alongside Independent councillors Cadogan Enright and Jarlath Tinnelly. Other independent councillors can join the group at any time. 

Cllr Brown — the leader of the technical group — said that in the last council term there was agreement amongst all parties that if those with less than three members and Independents agreed to work together to nominate a group leader, that person would be recognised on the party representatives’ forum, a private, non-minuted group in which important and often contentious issues are discussed before coming to a committee. 

Cllr Brown said this recognised a representative from the Alliance/Independent group on several key working groups and representative bodies within council. 

He continued: “Essentially, the four largest parties agreed amongst themselves to exclude us from this forum and other important council bodies with no reason or excuse whatsoever. I always had my doubts about the party representatives’ forum as being an undemocratic back-channel and this latest move very much confirms that view. 

“It seems the establishment parties are keen to exclude alternative and minority voices in this new council, no doubt in part due to the fantastic results smaller parties and independents received in the District at the last election.”

Cllr Brown said Alliance and Independents now represent almost 20% of members of the new council.

He said that to exclude them from key positions was “not just a shocking example of silencing minority voices, but a huge democratic deficit and an affront to all those who voted for Alliance and independent representatives in May’s election.”

Downpatrick Independent councillor Cadogan Enright said technical groups were recognised in Westminster, the Dáil, the EU Parliament, Stormont and in councils throughout Ireland.

He said there was no justification for the “undemocratic decision” to exclude local members and that the main parties were “clearly afraid of what the rise of other voices means for them”.