Causeway Coast and Glens Council: Stormont minister demands answers over finances

The cash-strapped Causeway Coast and Glens Council has been ordered by Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey to answer a series of probing questions about its handling of finances.

The council recently passed an unprecedented 7.65% rates hike, alongside around £2.5 million worth of cuts, in a bid to balance the books.

A protest is due to take place tonight outside the council headquarters in Cloonavin, Coleraine to demand a “forensic audit” of the council’s finances.

An SDLP motion calling for a forensic audit was passed by the council last month, but a group of six unionist councillors drawn from the UUP, DUP and PUP enacted a legal mechanism known as a ‘call-in’ in an attempt to block the motion.

The department confirmed in January that the minister had been made “aware” of concerns regarding the handling of finances at the council.

In her letter, the communities minister makes a series of 19 individual requests for detailed information from the council.

She states: “I am aware from various news reports that have appeared in the media over the last number of weeks of concerns about the financial position of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. I have also recently received a number of correspondence cases drawing my attention to serious concerns regarding the financial viability of the council, and asking for my intervention.”

DUP councillor John McAuley said: “It appears to be a quite in-depth list of questions, covering a broad spectrum.

“The council have responded and there are a considerable number of documents, including minutes of meetings and other kind of records.”

He added: “I would welcome the co-operation of the council and this is a step in the right direction, I would hope, to restoring the public’s confidence in the council.”

Independent councillor Padraig McShane said: “It is inconceivable that the department would intervene in the running of a council in ordinary circumstances. But these are extraordinary times in Causeway Coast and Glens.”

He added: “It is important that an investigation into the concerns surrounding this council is happening away from the council itself.”

SDLP councillor Helena Dallat O’Driscoll said: “The ratepayer needs assurance that the council’s financial problems are being put to bed.”