Planning upheaval…and it’s not RPA

FOR years local councils have had a consultative voice in the planning process.

The plan under the Review of Public Administration is for planning to become the responsibility of local councils.

There already were some question marks against the new 11 councils taking over planning, but against the context of the furore surrounding Iris Robinson’s alleged access to property developers’ cheque books the entire planning process has come under the spotlight.

A recent meeting of the Assembly’s environment committee concluded that it needed to write to the DUP Environment Minister about what role the committee should have in any investigations into the controversy surrounding the Robinson issue.

Which can only lead to a reasonable person to ask how many investigations are needed? Westminster, the Assembly Ombudsman, Castlereagh council…is this a case of investigation envy.

Of course, it isn’t just the Robinson family that has been hitting headlines. The Adams family has had its share of unwelcome time under the glare of the media spotlight, with allegations of unreported allegations against Liam Adams, brother of Sinn Féin party leader Gerry Adams.

Ian Paisley Junior has asked the Assembly Ombudsman to investigate whether Gerry broke any rules. Sure what’s another investigation among friends? After all, if policing and justice is devolved, our MLAs will need something to talk about.

Health service in meltdown (again)

BED closures; ending of in-patient surgery; no hot meals for visitors…Northern Ireland’s health service was this week portrayed as being in meltdown, with swingeing cuts being the order of the day.

Health and social care services represent the biggest cost to NI plc so any percentage based cuts are bound to have a proportionately larger effect.

One can’t help but wonder whether the health service is a victim of its own success.

More patients than ever are receiving better care, the general population is living longer, long term conditions such as asthma and diabetes are receiving better services, and cancer survival rates are improving.

All of which cost more.

So while the Stormont health committee rants at unions, managers and anyone else, the directive should be to stop being so good at your jobs! Yes, all you doctors and nurses out there – you are obviously letting the side down by helping patients live longer. This is a singularly poor approach to managing the budgets.

And, as for managers and administrators, the chief executive of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust William McKee told the health committee this week that even if he fired everyone in administration it wouldn’t save the £93m that is needed in efficiency savings over the next three years.

Still it’s the thought that counts!

11 Councils

The pressure was on – and the Executive made a decision. Faced with countless numbers of councillors who feared that they may not be given severance payments when they stood down, Ministers buckled and plucked a figure out of the air.

There was a real possibility that if a decision was not reached then the existing 26 councils would have to be re-elected next year. The re-organisation means that the current crop of councilors can avail of severance payments if they stand down at the end of the current term. The payments are likely to be approximately £1000 for every year served on a council – a sum not to be sniffed at for many long serving councilors. In addition, the lives of the current councils are likely to be extended until 2011 – so these councilors can keep claiming allowances for another 3 years – even though their democratic mandate expires next year. This should certainly keep some disgruntled DUP and Sinn Féin councillors happy.

The UUP Ministers voted against the proposal to have 11 new councils but hardly anyone noticed. Fred Cobain rushed to the cameras to condemn the ‘greening’ of Belfast. Fred obviously foresees a Belfast that continues to divide on orange and green lines for evermore. Belfast is changing surely our politics might change too Fred? Maybe a pro union party like yours could reach out to Catholics who might be Irish but proud to live in Belfast and content to live in the UK?

Anyhow, I suspect that Environment Minister Arlene Foster will appoint a Boundary Commission that realigns the City boundaries with the Westminster ones – bringing Twinbrook, Lagmore and the entire urban part of Castlereagh into the city.

Amidst all the fuss about the numbers and boundaries NILGA (the Northern Ireland Local Government Association) argued that the curtailed list of powers that were being given to the new councils compared to what had been envisaged under the Review of Public Administration meant that Northern Ireland would continue to have the weakest local government in Europe.