A Northern Ireland council has rejected a request to attend a UK-wide AGM for councillors amid a dispute in chambers with an SDLP “serial attender”.
A report was brought to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) this week (Nov 3) with an estimate of £750 per councillor to attend the National Association of Councillors (NAC) conference in Carlisle (Nov 14–16) on ‘Shaping Education’.
A heated debate took place after party leaders had indicated a decision to refuse the invitation before it was brought to the floor of the chamber.
Newry Sinn Féin councillor Valerie Harte said: “Is there not an NAC conference here in the North?”
Rowallane SDLP councillor Terry Andrews, a former regional chairman (2021–23) of the NAC, is the current SDLP representative on the 11-member regional committee.
He said: “All 462 councillors over the 11 councils were circulated with newsletters and emails from the NAC outlining dates of such meetings.
“There was an AGM held in September at the Glenavon House Hotel for the 11 councils to come along and appoint representatives, etc., and for updates on the work of the NAC in Northern Ireland.”
He added: “There are other councils in Northern Ireland where, without any hesitation or doubt, the representatives of the NAC go to these AGMs without question.
“Members appointed to such bodies should be allowed to say ‘yay or nay’. And if nobody wants to go, then fair and square.
“I get called the serial attender — and I do attend, and I do represent my party and council, and I am there to do the job I am appointed to do.
“But this needs to be sorted once and for all.”
Mournes DUP councillor Glyn Hanna said: “I’ve never really heard any feedback that has been overly constructive to our benefit at these events. I did actually respond to this on behalf of ourselves (DUP).
“Somebody would have to explain to me the benefit we are going to get from this, as at this moment in time, I don’t see any sense in sending anybody.”
Downpatrick Sinn Féin councillor Oonagh Hanlon added: “Councillors’ roles in shaping education in England, in my mind, would be very different to what it is in the North of Ireland. To me, it probably isn’t relevant to councillors here.”
Councils in Britain are responsible for education, but in Northern Ireland they are not, with those powers held at Stormont.
Slieve Gullion SDLP councillor and party group leader Pete Byrne said: “We decided on a process of going through this via group leaders, and I think it is the best way, so we have agreement across all political parties.
“I don’t think we can have a blanket decision on all conferences — I think it depends on the issues at the conference.
“This is about education, which has nothing to do with us on council. So, we have to be responsible when spending ratepayers’ money.
“There was already an AGM in Northern Ireland, so I don’t think we should be sending anyone over to England.
“Though, I propose that we don’t close it off and bring a paper back on such meeting attendance in the future.”
