Northern Irish assembly fails to agree on local government consolidation

Reorganisation of Northern Ireland’s councils has been put on hold indefinitely after the parties in the devolved administration failed to agree a way forward.

The province has 26 councils with a limited range of responsibilities - mainly concerned with the environment, leisure and economic development – and it had been expected that these would be reconfigured to 11 by 2015.

Each would cover a larger area and gain more powers from the government.

John Mathews, president of the Northern Ireland Local Government Association, called the decision “a shocking blow”.

He said: “I find it hard to comprehend the ministers’ announcement that the move to 11 new councils has now ceased.

“Councillors and council officers have worked tirelessly over the past number of years by investing time, effort and resources to take the programme forward. This now seems to have been wasted effort and will leave many feeling that the minister has let them down.”

Matthews added that it was “disgraceful that local government in Northern Ireland is left with fewer services to deliver to their citizens, than any council in Europe”.

Environment minister Edwin Poots had told councils they would have to meet the estimated £118m start-up costs of reorganisation.