WEST TYRONE CONSTITUENCY ASSOCIATION

ULSTER UNIONIST PARTY

RESPONSE TO REVIEW OF NORTHERN IRELAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARIES

The West Tyrone Constituency Association of the Ulster Unionist Party in line with the stated policy of the Ulster Unionist Party believe that the ideal model for local government in Northern Ireland would have been created by the establishment of a 15 Council model and I quote from our 2005 submission:-

‘The Ulster Unionist Party supports option 3 – i.e. the fifteen councils model based on parliamentary boundaries (option 15A). We believe that the basic building blocks should be those developed independently by the Parliamentary Boundaries Commission, thus ensuring proportionality of electorate and citizens combined with a single representative structure that will enhance the accountability of all services.  This model will also reduce the confusion on the part of the electorate and reduce conflicts of interests between MLA’s and MP’s in certain areas.  Equally the Ulster Unionist Party supports the idea of co-terminosity of services either in discrete units or by the combination of units as appropriate.

Having stated that fact we now examine the proposed Council structure for Omagh and Strabane District Councils which are the two council areas within the West Tyrone Constituency area. Again based on our existing party policy we as a Constituency Association firmly believe that the best interests of Omagh and Strabane could be best served by the creation of a West Tyrone District Council incorporating the existing Omagh and Strabane Council area’s and that would be our preferred option.

Reviewing the proposals as they stand in relation to the merger of Fermanagh and Omagh District Councils and ‘Derry City and Strabane District Councils we can see taking a ward electoral average area in the proposed Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area to consist of 1860 voters and a ward electoral average area in the ‘Derry City and Strabane District Council area to be 2314 we can immediately identify a differential of 354 electors per ward.

The commission remit as stated in point 2.4 of the Statutory Rules is ‘as far as is reasonably practicable, having regard to the requirements of para 17, be substantially the same’.

Under statutory rule 2.2 the Commissioner has the discretion to increase or decrease by not more than 5 wards in each District Council area, we would therefore suggest that the following wards be transferred into the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area from the ‘Derry City and Strabane District Council area.

Castlederg (2263)

Newtownstewart (2177)

Glenderg (2330)

A total of 6770 voters.

If these wards were redesigned into 4 wards with an average of 1690 voters per Ward a 44 member Council could be created for the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council areas with an equal balance of representatives from Tyrone and Fermanagh and would allow for the natural movement of the electors within the area.  There is a natural affiliation for the residents of these specific areas towards Omagh – in respect of work, education, social and recreational activities.

This movement would reduce the ‘Derry City and Strabane District Council area electorate to 85823 and would increase the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council electorate to 81181 and make it a more sustainable and reasonable sized Council for the geographical area that it would cover.  The removal of the three wards from the ‘Derry City and Strabane District Council area would enable the creation of perhaps a 50 seat Council to reflect the status of Londonderry as Northern Ireland’s second city and could create an average ward size in the region of 1700 electors which would ensure a fair and equitable split for the urban and rural dwellers of the new Council area and with a smaller sized Ward could ensure minority representation on the new Council.