The public deserve to know whether NI council reforms delivered any savings - UUP

Andy Allen was reacting to an Audit Office report which said it would consider whether review of the impact the reforms have had on local government is required.

The number of councils in Northern Ireland was reduced from 26 to 11 in 2015. It was aimed at making councils more efficient and cost-effective, but also gave them additional responsibilities such as local planning and economic development.

After years of delays, Stormont’s Department for Communities concluded last year that that it was too early to conclude if local government reform has been cost effective due in part to a lack of data.

A new report from the Local Government Auditor says it will “consider the department’s report further to see if a review of the impact the reform has had on local government is required”.

UUP communities spokesperson Andy Allen MLA said council reforms were presented to the public on the basis that they would “deliver efficiencies, better value for money and improved services for ratepayers”.

“The Ulster Unionist Party has consistently said that these claims must be tested against evidence. In 2020, I said I welcomed a review of reform but that it should have happened much earlier and that the findings needed to be published clearly and in full.

“Several years on, the Department’s own report concludes that it is still not possible to determine whether reform has been cost effective.

“A key reason cited is the lack of consistent, standardised reporting across councils.

“If councils are not required to report costs and service outcomes in a way that allows proper comparison and analysis, it is impossible to give the public clear answers.

“Until that gap is addressed, it cannot be said that local government reform has delivered what was presented at the time.

“Ratepayers are entitled to transparency, accountability and clear evidence on value for money, not uncertainty more than a decade on.”