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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Brendan Hughes

More than 130 complaints against Northern Ireland councillors since last election

More than 130 complaints have been made against councillors in Northern Ireland since the last local government election, according to figures from the standards watchdog.

Most complaints were about their behaviour towards other people and alleged breaches of requirements to act lawfully and not bring their council or position into disrepute.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council both had the most complaints against their councillors out of the 11 local authorities.

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A total of 42 written complaints were made against councillors in Northern Ireland during 2021-22, according to the latest annual report from the standards watchdog. This compares to 48 in 2020-21 and 41 in 2019-20.

Over the three-year period, Mid and East Antrim and Causeway Coast and Glens councils each had 26 complaints against their councillors.

Councillors in Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council received 24 complaints, followed by 19 in the Fermanagh and Omagh council area and nine in Newry, Mourne and Down council.

In Lisburn and Castlereagh council there were seven complaints, Belfast had six, and there were five against councillors in the Armagh, Banbridge Craigavon council area.

There were four complaints submitted against councillors in both Derry City and Strabane council and Mid Ulster council, while just one complaint related to reps in the Ards and North Down council area.

The formal complaints amounted to 214 alleged breaches of the councillors' code of conduct, with 69 in 2021-22, 84 in 2020-21 and 61 in 2019-20.

A total of 77 related to behaviour towards other people, while 49 were on obligations as a councillor such as acting lawfully and not bringing the council or their position into disrepute.

Some 26 related to planning matters, 24 to decision-making and 13 to the disclosure and declaration of interests.

Use of position was a concern in 10 instances, disclosure of Information in another 10, use of council resources in four cases and once for registration of interests.

Out of 46 cases processed in 2021-22 by the watchdog's investigators, seven cases were referred for adjudication by the standards commissioner.

Five cases were closed by alternative action, which may involve resolutions such as a written apology, and two were withdrawn.

Twelve were closed at the initial assessment stage, which looks at whether the complaint is covered by the code of conduct, and further 11 were closed at the assessment stage, which determines whether there is enough evidence available.

Some 16 were closed at the investigation stage, where it was decided there was no evidence of any failure to comply with the code of conduct.

The next council election is due to be held on May 18.

Recent standards commissioner adjudications over the conduct of councillors have included a case against the DUP's John Carson.

The Ballymena councillor was suspended for three months last year over a Facebook comment in which he said Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill would be "put back in her kennel".

Last month, independent Causeway Coast and Glens councillor Padraig McShane received a suspension over a conviction of disorderly behaviour and resisting police following an Orange Order parade in Ballycastle in 2016.

The council standards watchdog has a backlog of dozens of unresolved complaints against councilllors with some on the books for six years, it emerged last October.

It was reported at the time there were 66 complaints which had yet to be concluded, including one submitted in 2016.

A spokesman for the standards commissioner had apologised to councillors who have faced an "unacceptable delay" in the conclusion of investigations.

He said factors causing the backlog include the complexity of some cases, delays in the submission of evidence and the extent of cooperation with the investigations.

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