Local government boundaries flawed - Alliance

2.47.16pm GMT Tue 7th Nov 2006

Allliance General Secretary, Stephen Farry

Alliance Party General Secretary, Stephen Farry, has expressed scepticism regarding the sustainability of the new proposed Local Government Boundaries.

Stephen Farry stated:

"This may all turn out to be a huge academic exercise. Alliance hopes and expects that any newly restored Assembly will launch a major rethink of moving to as few as seven super-Councils. The current proposals are a recipe for a sectarian carve-up. The Commissioner was faced with an impossible set of requirements to address.

"Given the growth in the city of Belfast, it was inevitable that boundaries there would have to change. But elsewhere, the proposed super-councils fail to reflect natural communities. The lack of any basis for anything other than very functional names illustrates this point.

"Alliance will be studying these proposals closely. But it is already clear that there are a large number of anomalies, both in the borders of the overall councils and in relation to the individual wards. Much work needs to be carried out to put things right."

ENDS