The Secretary of the West Tyrone Constituuency Association and Omagh Town Councillor Ross Hussey has reacted angrily to the Minister’s decision to amalgamate Omagh and Fermanagh District Councils under the Review of Public Administration.

It is quite clear that Arlene was not prepared to face down Sinn Fein on this issue.  With the exception of Sinn Fein all political parties in Northern Ireland supported a 15 Council model in line with the parliamentary constituencies (14 plus the 4 Belfast constituencies).  Even Francie Molloy when he was President of NILGA supported the notion of 15 and this was in the face of disciplinary action from his own party.  For some act of political expediency Arlene did not have the strength to push 15 Councils through and I must pay tribute to Sir Reg Empey and Michael McGimpsey who had the political strength to oppose this decision.  Why Margaret Ritchie of the SDLP voted to support this notion in the Executive is beyond me but that responsibility will rest with her and her party colleagues.

Was Arlene afraid of a 2009 election?  Was the prospect of another Dromore defeat too frightening for her to contemplate?  Elections for the new Super Council will probably take place in 2010 to allow it to operate in some Shadow form prior to the establishment of the new Council.  Let us hope that the boundary commissioner listens to the people of West Tyrone who do not wish to be swallowed up in an administration based in Londonderry.  The people of Castlederg, Newtownstewart, Plumbridge and even Strabane itself will want to retain the association with Omagh and let us hope that the Sinn Fein push for Councils to be moved in their entirety can be defeated at this stage.

The coalition of Omagh and Fermanagh can be seen as a ’political nightmare’ however there is absolutely no reason why we cannot some together as a single unitary authority.  Once the boundaries are settled there is only one way to go and that is forward with a united approach for the welfare of the people of both the Council areas we represent.