Mid Ulster councillor Sean McPeake appointed new NILGA president

The Sinn Féin Party’s, Councillor Seán McPeake was agreed by all parties as President of NILGA at the Association’s AGM in Craigavon Civic Centre.

Speaking following his appointment, he said: “Taking over the Presidency of NILGA again is both a privilege and a challenge; the sector has changed dramatically over the last number of years. Whilst new local government is more powerful than ever, it is more stretched in terms of finances and resources.

“I believe that in this coming year and the next half decade, councils will be asked to deliver much of the developing Programme for Government. NILGA will ensure that the right governance, skills, finances and resources are part of the new relationship, which must be bottom up, from communities, through councils, to our legislature.

“NILGA, the all party executive, the council membership and the small officer team continue to be prudent, diligent and business focused. But this is a challenging time, substantial work is still required on planning, waste, the economy and member development, and still more needs to be done at a regional level on big issues like performance management, investment, and so much more.

“I want to thank the NILGA executive and membership and the working group members for delivering great products and collaborating with each other, with council officers and with NILGA. We need to harness and encourage this collaboration, Members and Officers alike need to trust one another and be open, to help our communities thrive. We need to really develop and embrace a partnership approach across the local government sector.”

In closing, Cllr McPeake thanked both of last year’s Presidents, Carla Lockhart MLA and Ald Freda Donnelly and his fellow Officers Bearers, Cllr Dermot Curran (SDLP), Ald Arnold Hatch (UUP) and Ald Alan McDowell (Alliance) for their support and encouraged their ongoing commitment as NILGA Office Bearers for the busy year ahead.