Antrim and Newtownabbey: fresh round of cost-cutting measures approved by councillors

The council’s Operations Committee was given an estimates update for leisure and parks services at a meeting in Antrim Civic Centre on Monday evening.

Matt McDowell, director of parks and leisure operations, noted an annual maintenance charge of £50,000 for cremators at the council-owned crematorium at Doagh Road, Newtownabbey and an income increase of £800k.

Almost 1,000 cremations have taken place during the first 12 months at the £6m council-owned crematorium which opened at Doagh Road, Newtownabbey, in June 2023.

Funding which has been lost, however, councillors heard, was for animal welfare services and the ‘Affordable Warmth’ scheme for low income households to address fuel poverty.

At the meeting, the committee agreed to reduce leisure centre opening hours during public and bank holidays and a reduction in household recycling centre opening hours on weekdays and weekends.

A report presented to the Operations Committee proposed business hours at premises without golf facilities are matched to their weekend hours during the next financial year.

However, the operating hours for leisure centres with golf courses, Ballyearl in Newtownabbey and Allen Park, in Antrim, will remain unchanged.

Significantly Higher

The report said public and bank holidays “incur significantly higher operational costs” with employee wages on these days reaching up to triple the standard rate.

Councillors were advised by decreasing leisure centre opening hours, staffing costs can be reduced from approximately £105,000 to £45,000 with additional savings through energy reduction. New leisure charges were approved.

Meanwhile, a reduction in recycling centre hours would see a decrease in staffing costs of £30k and drop in waste which would result in an estimated saving of £40k.

Other reductions which have been approved previously will include the provision of two rolls per annum of food waste caddy liners which would result in a saving of £70k instead of supply on demand.

A new charge for the council’s bulky waste collection service was also approved recently. The local authority received 16,000 bookings during 2023/24 at a cost of £335k. Currently, bulky collections are free of charge without restrictions.

Councillors agreed the introduction of a restriction for residents with one collection in a 12-month period for a maximum of three items with a £10 charge for any bulky collection thereafter in the same period.

The hourly rate at the three existing “chargeable” car parks – Railway Street, Antrim, Market Square, Ballyclare and Whiteabbey Village – will rise from 20 pence to 40 pence instead which would bring in an additional £140k.

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Ownership of 11 car parks was transferred to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in 2015.

An increase in burial and cremation charges for the next financial year has also been approved. A report presented to the Operations Committee previously said the council’s resident cremation rate is the second lowest in the UK.

A new levy for burials in the borough at weekends and bank holidays is expected to be introduced in April.

Councillors have also approved a rise in the cost of admission to next year’s Enchanted Winter Garden event at Antrim Castle Gardens for non-residents.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter