Local Government Calls for Empowerment in Response to the Draft Programme for Government
As the voice of local government, the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) welcomes the publication of the Executive’s draft Programme for Government (PfG) 2024-2027, Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most, while urging a comprehensive transformation of public services to meet growing demands.
While we commend the progress made in delivering the draft, the key to unlocking long-term sustainability is a whole of government approach with the contribution of our partners and a focus on people and outcomes.
NILGA President, Councillor Alison Bennington, said:
“While local government recognise the scale and complexity of the challenges facing our public services, as outlined in this draft, we strongly believe that meaningful transformation cannot happen without fully unlocking the capacity of local councils.
“Each of our councils touch the lives of individuals and communities every day, but we must be empowered to do more, especially as we approach the 10th anniversary of the 11 councils in April 2025.
“We stand ready and committed to working alongside our community, voluntary, business and academic partners across the UK and Ireland. The journey towards a better tomorrow starts with empowering local government to deliver and be a partner of equals in the transformation outlined in the draft Programme for Government.”
The consultation response, which includes our guiding principles to empower local government, advocates for a constructive approach to problem-solving and sets the stage for ongoing dialogue between the Executive and local government.
NILGA has offered five guiding principles that are key for the priorities and missions of Our Plan to materialise.
Local government has played a key role in public service reform over the past decade, but there are still significant untapped opportunities. The response underscores that for the PfG to succeed, councils must be at the heart of delivering change. Local government’s grass roots relationship with communities makes it uniquely positioned to meet future challenges.
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