DUP turns on senior council officials after land deals report

The DUP, the largest grouping on the Causeway Coast and Glens council, had previously resisted calls for action to be taken against the chief executive David Jackson when a previous report upheld a string of complaints made against him over his role in a £1 deal for property rights for a luxury hotel proposal.

Complaints made against the council leadership over their handling of that land deal, made by the TUV leader Jim Allister, were investigated by a private consultancy firm and upheld in a 2020 report.

At that time, the council voted in a behind-closed doors meeting to take no action on the basis that the investigation report had been leaked to the media.

Now, after the publication of the “extraordinary audit” report and a warning from the Stormont Minister responsible for local government that the council must act, the DUP has said it is “not convinced that the current council leadership is best placed” to carry out the reforms necessary.

The party’s statement contrasts with the view given by DUP councillor George Duddy in an interview with the Antrim Guardian newspaper in October 2020, following criticism of the decision of his party and others to take no action against Mr Jackson.

“Those of us who are fully aware of the facts, and have taken time to read all the documentation in regards to the right of way — which was subjected to examination over 22 days of a judicial review — are disgusted and appalled at the unwarranted characterisation of the Chief Executive and other members of the senior management team,” Mr Duddy was quoted as saying.

A statement issued by his party on Thursday, however, states: “It is our view that all recommendations should be implemented. We are not convinced that the current council leadership is best placed to take this reform forward.”

The party statement added: “It is clear the conduct of some senior council Officers fell well short of the standards one would have expected.”

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey, meanwhile, told reporters in Belfast yesterday she is seeking legal advice over how she can intervene if she “doesn’t see progress”. She said if the council fail to take the audit report’s recommendations forward she would “look legally at what intervention is open for me”.