Committee to Scrutinise Major Reform of Local Government

The Committee for the Environment is now considering the Local Government Bill, which will introduce significant changes to local government in Northern Ireland. The Bill will provide for new governance arrangements for local councils, including changes to how decisions are made and how positions of responsibility on councils are shared across political parties. It will also introduce a new ethical standards regime and council-led community planning arrangements.

Committee Chairperson Anna Lo said: "The Committee welcomes the opportunity to scrutinise this long-awaited piece of legislation, which will transform the future of local government. The Bill will impact on every aspect of the operation of councils, including what powers councils have and how they exercise them.

Ms Lo concluded: "Reform on such a scale can often bring uncertainty, so the Committee will study in detail every aspect of these far-reaching changes. We want to know how these reforms will work in practice and what they will mean for service delivery and local communities. At the heart of our scrutiny will be our commitment to ensuring the best outcome for local people."