Council transition committees 'a waste of money'

The Sentinel has been told that each representative sitting on the 11 transition councils across Northern Ireland receives almost 250 for each meeting.

Committee member Leslie Cubitt, who is representing the Limavady area at the transition stage, says he and the other 19 members on the proposed Coleraine 'super' council are being paid 2,500 a year each plus travelling expenses, for just one meeting a month.

Councillor Cubitt also raised concerns over the amount of money being paid to Transition Management Teams after fears the new council shake-up may not take hold to 2015 - four years later than its 2011 target.

"It's a total waste of money. Why should we and the other officers involved in the transition council be getting paid any money when we are doing nothing? It's a disgrace," blasted councillor Cubitt.

"There are currently 20 members, including myself, on the transition council committee at Coleraine who meet once a month.

"That's 50,000 a year coming out of the public purse for us meeting with no progress.

"Then there's the Transition Management Teams who I believe are getting in the region of 30,000 per year for their time. Add all of that up over four years for each council in Northern Ireland and you are talking about millions being wasted, all because Stormont is dragging its feet."

Currently there are 11 Transition Committees in Northern Ireland, one for each of the proposed new councils including Derry City Council and Strabane District Council. Each Committee is made up of elected members from the relevant councils. The Committees, in turn, are supported by Transition Management Teams who are responsible for effectively delivering a programme of responsibilities which will create "continuous and efficient services" for the new councils.

But Councillor Cubitt said: "We are going no further forward with the implementation of the new councils. It already looks like there will have to be an election for the 26 council areas next year because of this hold up. We need to stop wasting money."

Councillor Cubitt continued: "Last week it was announced that already 8 million had been spent on the boundary restructuring project for the councils. No, this has not been spent, it has been wasted. This cannot continue."

Mr Cubitt said Stormont, especially Environment Minister Edwin Poots, "needs to stop the dragging of feet."

In response to Councillor Cubitt's call, a DOE spokesperson said: "The Minister is fully committed to reshaping local government in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

"The Transition Committees are a vital part of the reform programme and have taken forward a significant amount of work to prepare for the convergence of the councils - none of this work has been wasted."

The spokesperson concluded: "The principal objective for Minister Poots is to make sure that a model for delivering the future efficiency savings in local government is produced which is fit for purpose and will deliver real savings to ratepayers. The Transition Committees will have a major role in the development of that model."