Call for evidence issued ahead of review of roles and responsibilities of councillors in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) has issued a call for evidence for the Department for Communities-commissioned review of the roles and responsibilities of councillors.

Then Minister for the Department for Communities, MLA Deirdre Hargey agreed to the review in December 2021.

In December last year, Maynard Mawhinney was appointed independent chair of the working group tasked with carrying out the review, which is expected to take six months.

The working group also includes members from NILGA, the National Association of Councillors Northern Ireland, and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

It will make recommendations on the system and level of allowances which would be available to councillors taking into consideration the role and responsibilities of councillors since April 2015.

The review of allowances will consider basic and special responsibility allowances, chair & vice chair allowances, dependants' carers' allowance, pension scheme, severance scheme, travel & Subsistence, maternity/paternity and long-term sickness, and a range of members' services and support.

It will also consider schemes of remuneration for councillors in other jurisdictions in Britain and Ireland.

Interested parties have until 15 March 2024 to respond to NILGA’s call for evidence. The survey can be found here.

The working group’s chair, Mawhinney, is a Non-Executive Director at Northern Ireland's South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, where he chairs the Finance & Performance Committee. He is also chair of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise's College Advisory Group.

He has also served as a Board member with the Health & Safety Executive and was an independent Assessor with the Commissioner for Public Appointments (NI).

Adam Carey