Council wants detail about Omagh's finances

Editorial Department Catriona Loughran - 1503 • Published 3 Sep 2009 09:00 0 Comments

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Members of the Voluntary Transition Committee, set up to secure and co-ordinate the successful merge of Fermanagh and Omagh councils in two years' time, are to attend a workshop on Monday about the short-term vision of the new Council and to overcome some differences raised at previous meetings.

An "acrimonious" meeting was held in June between councillors who failed to agree on administrative issues regarding the merge, which led to accusations being thrown at individuals and elements of distrust emerging from the two sides.

Draft minutes of a meeting held on June 19, which weren't made public, were leaked to the Impartial Reporter last week signalling serious teething problems between the Councils.

It seems that Councillors of Fermanagh District Council aren't happy with the approaches taken by Omagh District Council.

Minutes would suggest that Fermanagh Councillors are not satisfied that Omagh is being entirely communicative about its financial position and its lack of consultation with the committee over administrative issues.

It's widely-known that Omagh District Council has more liabilities than assets compared to Fermanagh and when the merge takes places this mean rates in the county could increase by as much as 15 per cent.

Among the items discussed was about the Joint Operating Framework with concerns raised by Fermanagh Councillors that amendments to the Framework were solely carried out by Omagh District Council despite it being agreed that both Chief Executives should consult with the Away Day consultants to update the Framework for review at the next meeting.

It was pointed out in the minutes by Omagh councillor Martin McColgan that as Omagh was taking the lead in administration it was clear that it was Omagh's responsibility to amend the framework in consultation with both Chief Executives.

However SDLP Fermanagh Councillor John O'Kane added the Framework reflected the corporate view of Omagh District Council which he felt supported his contention that it was not a joint document.

Chief Executive of Omagh District Council Danny McSorley clarified that the draft document had not been prepared by Omagh in isolation and were presented to Fermanagh District Council for consideration and amendment.

However, progress has since been made over the Joint Operating Framework after Fermanagh District Council sought the assistance of Peter Quinn Consultancy Services and a joint framework has since been agreed.

Standing orders have also been agreed but there is still an ongoing dispute over how minutes should be recorded in future meetings.

Another item discussed was that Fermanagh had produced its baseline audit and as a matter of courtesy felt Omagh should produce its information in the same format.

It was agreed that Mr McSorley would produce the baseline information in the context of the agreement which the Omagh members had signed up to.

However in the minutes, Councillor Shields encouraged new members to approach the transition process in the context of the creation of a "new council and new district" and not simply a merge of two existing councils and that it had to move away from the Fermanagh District Council/Omagh District Council viewpoint.

Disappointment was expressed by Councillor O'Kane and Councillor Bertie Kerr over Councillor Shield's comments and Councillor Huggett argued that members should bear in mind that the estimates would need to be prepared at the end of the year in advance of the Transition Committee being statutory.

In the minute, Councillor Elliott added that if he (Danny McSorley) was going to run a company he would need to know, not only its vision, but its current position.

The finance issue has yet to be resolved.

The workshop on Monday will seek to find a short-term vision for the new Council, what purpose it will have and what shape it will take. The workshop will also look at the future of services ensuring a more efficient and effective service will be established in the amalgamated council.

A Chief Executive designate is to be appointed in March and it is speculated that the recruitment process for a new CEO will be open to all Chief Executives holding positions in the current 26 Councils which will be reduced to 11 by 2011.

Like with other merging Councils, a Transition Project Manager is to be appointed in the coming months and will work alongside councillors and officers on a two year basis over the transition process.

SDLP Councillor John O'Kane admitted June's meeting was an "acrimonious" meeting but is optimistic that issues will be smoothed out by the time the Voluntary Transition Committee comes statutory at the end of the year.

"The key here is to drive this change over with consensus and agreement. We have to make this work and both Councils need to work together, resolve our differences and learn from each other. Our aim is to provide the best service possible for the ratepayers. Yes, we are going to have disagreements but it's about getting this work done effectively and on time and I remain optimistic that we can do that."

However UUP Councillor Tom Elliott said, "We need to get the real work done regarding technical services in the new Council such as bins being emptied and how staff will be paid we are being bogged down too much by administrative work and codes of conduct. We need to resolve the big concerns and one of them is the finance of Omagh District Council. These workshops are all well and good but we first need to get on with the things that matter most to the ratepayer."

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 03 Sep 09

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