This page is about the Northern Ireland Councils and the main purpose is to give a brief overview of the roles and responsibilities of the Northern Ireland Councils and Councillors.
At present there are 26 councils in Northern Ireland however a new local government structure has been proposed which is supposed to reduce the number of local councils from 26 to 11 by 2011.
This structure has now been postponed.
The number of councillors varies from council to council depending largely on the size of the council area.
For example Belfast City Council has 9 District Electoral Areas and 51 Councillors while Larne Borough Council has 3 District Electoral Areas and 16 Councillors and Omagh District Council has 3 District Electoral Areas and 21 Councillors.
It has been said that Councils in Northern Ireland have far fewer functions than their counterparts in England, Scotland or Wales, dealing mainly with environmental health, refuse collection and disposal and leisure services.
However this not strictly true, as Northern Ireland Councils have a wide range of powers and duties and all Northern Ireland councils work within the powers conferred (bestowed) on them by various pieces of legislation.
Your Local Councillor is an integral part of the local community.
The Councils
The councils’ functions can be divided into three areas, with in these three areas we have picked out those that could affect the motorcyclists: Direct Functions Provide a range of public services in areas such as: street cleansing – tourism – consumer protection. Representative Functions Representative functions allow councils to nominate representatives to sit as members of various statutory bodies. Consultative Functions Consultative functions allow councils to represent the views of the people in the area. This relates to the way in which regional services are operated throughout each district. This advice-giving role covers functions such as: Roads.
Each Council has Committees and Departments to run these functions and will have elected officials such as a Lord Mayor a Chairman and paid Executives and of course employees. The Department of Environment oversees the management of all Northern Ireland Council budgets and funding which is monitored carefully to ensure it is spent in accordance with the best interests of the public. Amongst these functions is the involvement with District Policing Partnerships (DPPs.) Original Source and Further Information: Click Here “Have clear and adequately resourced democratic processes rooted in local communities which encourage full participation”. Source: www.nilga.org |
Its not all about Rates, Bin Collection and Leisure Centres.
Although these are centrally managed, where there is an obligation – either by statute (law) or by voluntary agreement – district councils will be consulted about proposals affecting their area.
The Councillors
Councillors are elected representatives of the people in the communities of their electoral constituency. At present Local Councillors may also be MLAs, they may also be a Minster at the Northern Ireland Assembly and may even be an MEP. They should act as the voice of their constituents in their representative and consultative roles and should have a clear awareness and understanding of local issues enabling them to exert an influence on decisions made by the responsible authorities. Aside from responsibilities associated with delivering the service of the council, within each Council area, a number of Councillors serve on various other committees and advisory boards associated with the 11 Government Departments. It is up to you how involved you wish to become in local issues, or for your Councillor to raise your issue and campaign on your behalf, or for them to take some action to address your problem. |
As we have said Local Councillors are an integral part of the local community and are often prominent figures in the community.
Did You Know?
Of the 108 members of the local assembly (MLAs) 66 are also Councillors. Northern Ireland Councils employ approximately 10,000 local people. The majority of Northern Ireland Councillors are male. The average Northern Ireland Councillor has served for 10 years, spends 26 hours per week attending to council duties and receives less than £8,000 remuneration. The majority of Councillors in Northern Ireland have a job in addition to their role as a Councillor, while 25% are retired. Original Source – Local Goverment In N.Ireland 2006 pdf 3.2mb |
Across the 26 Northern Ireland council districts there are a total of 582 Councillors.
District Policing Partnerships – DPPs
Also, the DPP will act as a forum for discussion and consultation on matters affecting the policing of the district, for which it is responsible. This will include, for example, the prioritisation of policing issues on behalf of local people. The DPP should also be viewed as a mechanism for facilitating dialogue between the police and the local community. Make Up DPPs are made up of members of the local community and are either members of the public (Independent Members), or councillors (Political Members) who represent the district on their local council. DPPs have many important responsibilities. For example, they give voice to community views on policing, identify, discuss and prioritise local concerns and establish policing priorities. They act as a general forum for discussion and consultation on matters affecting the policing of the district. Motorcycling How can this affect motorcycling? Well the key is policing – policing priorities and to discuss and prioritise local concerns. And that includes Roads Policing – Road Safety – not just enforcement but engagement with road users. Original Source: www.districtpolicing.com |
A District Policing Partnership (DPP) is a partnership between the district council, councillors and representatives of the local community for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of policing in that area.
Case Study – Moyle District Council & Moyle DPP
An initial public meeting was called at the beginning of June by Councillor Oliver McMullan, Chairman of the Moyle Chairman of the DPP. Purpose The purpose of this meeting was to engage in dialogue with local and regional motorcycle groups and organisations, council representatives of Moyle District (North Antrim Coast Road area) and the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland), including Bikesafe. Councillor Oliver McMullan said, “As Chairman of the DPP, I am very pleased with the overwhelming response to the invites that I sent out for this meeting. Road safety is an issue that is frequently referred to in meetings of the DPPand is, therefore, a topic that I felt compelled to pursue as a Chairman’s initiative in partnership with the relevant bodies concerned.” Subsequent meetings were well attended with representatives from motorcycle clubs, including the Ancestors MCC, Quay Vipers MCC, Armoy Motorcycle Road Racing Club and individual riders. Representatives from the Roads Service also attended to give an overview of their work, with Moyle DPP Manger Adrian Proctor managing the “group”. Motorcyclists Point of View
Click Here to read the background to the consultation. The aim was to give background information from a motorcyclist’s point of view, regarding the ongoing issue of motorcycle safety concerns about the A 2 Antrim Coast Road – and the continuation of the A2 through the Moyle District Council area. There is public concern regarding motorcycles and the concentration of riders on the coast road both in the “rural” and “urban” areas. These concerns may be subjective but are genuine for the local population, who may suffer noise intrusion and quality of life issues. It is a fact that the majority of riders treat the coast road and other vehicle users with respect. Riders Actions
Although these riders’ actions are what are remembered by the public, residents and other users of the coast road, the majority of motorcyclists are not and should not be identified as “the problem”. There are also many instances of reckless car drivers, ignoring traffic regulations and speed warnings. Saving the Route We welcome the opportunity to participate in these meetings, to offer the riders’ perspective and to engage with the relevant authorities and other members of the public. We wish to find an acceptable way forward regarding the issue of motorcycle safety in the context of looking at the dynamics of the coast road for the safety of all road users. Oliver McMullan remarked, “I envisage that this group will continue to meet on a regular basis and I welcome the opportunity of exploring initiatives for the promotion of the safe use of the A2 Coast Road and adjoining feeder roads for all road users, in partnership with the relevant authorities.” Ride It Right
The Routes We do not want to stop on the issues on the Antrim Coast Road and we look forward to expanding the idea by identifying “biker routes” across the province with input from other riders – agencies and organisations. This Year – 2010 In 2010 the Right It Right initiative was joined by motorcyle clubs the Fallen Heroes MCC and the Lonewolf MCC – both clubs organising BikeSafe – Bike Safety Awareness days in Co. Down and Co. Antrim with the full support of Ride It Right. Ride It Right has also teamed up with Ride The Wild Wind motorcycle blog and Steve Baker Motorcycles through their, You Tube TV Video Channel “Maintenance Tips”, helping new and more experienced riders get the best out of their bikes. |
Prompted by two motorcycle fatalities in the Moyle area in April 2009, one on the A2 “Coast Road” motorcyclists was invited to attend meetings with the Moyle District Policing Partnership (DPP).
Right To Ride and the Quay Vipers MCC prepared a consultation document for the first public meeting.
In our opinion, there is a minority of riders whose attitude is to use the coast road as a weekend race track and due to their actions, they may be perceived as the majority.
Further meetings took place in July and August and the decision to hold a motorcycle event in August on the “Causeway Coastal Route” was taken and to develop a website to promote the event.
SourceInformation above has been sourced from various places which we believe is correct at time of publishing. For detailed information you can look at the links on our Links Page 6th April 2010 |
