SDLP Group Leader Margaret Anne McKillop has said that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council must take responsibility and face up to the findings of an audit office report.
The Northern Ireland Audit Office has published an extraordinary audit of the council which found numerous failings around the way the council and its officers dealt with land disposals and easements.
SDLP councillors had repeatedly called for the audit office to investigate the financial situation at the council.
Councillor McKillop said:
“SDLP councillors have repeatedly raised concerns about the way this council has operated, particularly when it comes to financial matters and we welcome the audit office’s report and their findings. They have detailed numerous concerns about the practices and culture in the council, the way they have dealt with land disposals and easements and the behaviour of some council officers.
“For too long there has been a lack of accountability in this council and it has been the public who suffer, with rates increases and diminished services as a result. This report from the audit office gives us the opportunity to draw a line under these matters, implement their recommendations and make a fresh start.
“We fully support an independent review into council’s governance and the involvement of the Department for Communities in mapping the way forward. This report contained very worrying findings about the behaviour of council officers, including ignoring legal advice and sharing inaccurate information, anyone found to have failed to uphold the standards expected must be held accountable for their actions.”
