Causeway Coast and Glens council says members are treated like 'second class citizens' over issue of attending meetings

At the beginning of March, all councils in Northern Ireland were told to return to ‘in person’ attendance at meetings.

On March 28, the council received correspondence from the Department for Communities’ Director Local Government and Housing Regulation, Anthony Carleton, which acknowledged that the ability of council members to attend meetings remotely was removed with ‘short notice given’ on March 7.

Mr Carleton added: “I understand the potential impact that the temporary removal of provisions to allow councils to hold meetings by remote or hybrid means may have.

“To be clear, from March 7, 2024, the legislation which provided councils with the power to hold remote/hybrid meetings, made under the Coronavirus Act 2020, ceased to have effect.

“It will require new legislation to reintroduce arrangements for hybrid/remote meetings. Minister Lyons has indicated that emergency legislation made under the Coronavirus Act 2020 is not the right mechanism to provide councils with powers to hold remote or hybrid meetings.

“He is committed to giving councils the flexibility to hold remote/hybrid meetings and intends to bring forward regulations, within as short a timeframe as possible, using enabling powers in the Local Government (Meetings and Performance) Act (NI) 2021.

“Officials have been in contact with all council chief executives regarding the preparation of the new regulations and will continue to engage and update councils regularly on this matter.”

At a Corporate Policy and Resources Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 23, Sinn Féin Councillor Cara McShane welcomed the correspondence and said she hoped the opportunity for hybrid meetings would be “expedited again as soon as possible”.

DUP Councillor Mervyn Storey said he didn’t “share the member’s enthusiasm”.

He added: “I listened to Anthony’s presentation to the committee and before Easter they were promising it would be with committee, but the SL1 [letter] to start the process doesn’t go to the committee until this week.

“So obviously it’s a priority when it’s not a priority, and it’s important for local authorities but it’s not seen as a priority for the DfC.

“I just think this is poor form yet again, and I got criticised for my comments the last time, but irrespective of who the Minister is, it doesn’t worry me.

“I just think this should have been done. They knew this was coming, they were not prepared, they had no Plan B, and I think it’s poor form. They need to get on with it and allow local authorities to make their own decisions.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Leanne Peacock agreed that DfC “don’t seem to be in too big a rush” to reinstate hybrid meetings.

“Especially when remote attendance is still being facilitated for MLAs,” she added. “And they’re happy for that to continue, but it’s not in place for councils. MLAs are being afforded the luxury.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Dermot Nicholl, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, claimed councillors were treated nearly as “second class citizens”.

Cllr Nicholl concluded: “We should be jumping through hoops whenever they speak.”