Local government: Empowering communities, shaping tomorrow

The 462 councillors elected to the 11 local councils deliver for citizens and businesses day in day out. Councils set ambitious targets to encourage growth and prosperity for everyone in their communities and play a critical role as convenors of partnerships between all sectors, to deliver against these targets.

Councillors and the local government officers that support them, are at the heart of the communities they serve, placing local democracy in an almost unique position in public service terms.

This closeness delivers an informed understanding of what communities and businesses need to thrive, in a way that more centralised public services can often find difficult. It delivers accountable, visible, transparent and local public services.

NILGA engaged extensively with local government and with stakeholders to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing our sector. As a result, NILGA agreed its vision and four strategic themes to support local government in what is an important period for local democracy.

NILGA’s four strategic themes are:

• Empowered and resourced councils

• Empowered and confident councillors

• Empowered and supported people and places

• Empowered and valued NILGA

The financial context for public services is well understood, and local councils face similar challenges grappling with the same pressures. Councils generate most of their income from rates paid by households and businesses. However, they must carefully balance the need to raise revenue for service delivery and future investment with the responsibility of avoiding undue burdens on ratepayers. To navigate these constraints, councils are focused on driving efficiency and modernisation within their organisations.

How NILGA helps councils in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) is the council-led representative body for local authorities in Northern Ireland, membership is drawn from the 11 local councils. We fulfil our leadership role by working with councils to identify common areas of strategic interest at a regional level and working in partnership with key regional, national and international bodies and stakeholders to represent those interests and shape relevant regional, national and international policy.

T: 44(0)28 9079 8972
W: www.nilga.org
X: @NI_LGA
LinkedIn: Northern Ireland Local Government Association