Members agree on committee sizes

At last week’s Governance Committee held in Cloonavin, members agreed on the number of members that would sit on each of the five committees. DUP councillor Mark Fielding proposed that committees should have ten to twelve councillors. He said that having a smaller number of councillors would be ‘more efficient and more cost effective’.

Sinn Fein councillor Sean McGlinchey put forward an amendment to the proposal, that committees should have sixteen members. The Limavady man said that this would ensure ‘smaller parties would have an input’.

Speaking on behalf of the UUP, councillor Joan Baird said that her party was content with 16 members as it takes into account the smaller parties and the ‘geographical diversity’ of the new Council. SDLP councillor Maura Hickey agreed saying: “It is imperative that we have a good geographical spread.” PUP councillor Russell Watton was also supportive of the 16 member committees. On being put to a vote councillor McGlinchey’s amendment was carried.