BYAILEEN MURPHY
Fermanagh will be one Councillor down when the proposals for the new Council boundaries in Northern Ireland are implemented.
The move to reduce the current 26 councils to just 11 will see the creation of the new 'Fermanagh and Omagh District Council'.
The Local Government Boundaries Commissioner, Dick Mackenzie made the announcement in the biggest shake-up of local administration since the 1970's, when he revealed last week the new names and shapes for the Councils.
The majority of the changes are the amalgamation of existing Council boundaries, such as Fermanagh and Omagh, with the exception of Belfast City Council, which has been adjusted to reflect the growing size of the population.
All councils, with the exception of Belfast which will have 60 wards, will be comprised of 40 wards, with roughly equivalent electorate, and with one Councillor to each ward.
Fermanagh currently has four wards, Enniskillen, Erne North, Erne West, and Erne East, and has a total of 23 Councillors.
The proposals will see the new-look 'Fermanagh' with 22 wards and, therefore 22 of the 40 Councillors in the new area will come from Fermanagh, the remaining 18 Councillors drawn from the Omagh District Council area.
The Commissioner's Provisional Recommendations Report will be displayed at a series of public meetings around the North.
The Fermanagh meeting will take place in Mahon's Hotel, Irvinestown on Monday and Tuesday, 24 and 25 November, from 10-12.30 am and from 1-4pm.
Anyone wishing to attend the public meeting is asked to arrive at 10am for the purpose of arranging a timetable for those who wish to present oral evidence.
For more information, go to www.lgbc-ni.org or call 9049 4870.
The Commissioner encouraged the public to respond to his proposals.
He said: "These proposals will impact on Councils, elected representatives, major public sector providers, the voluntary and community sectors, the private sector, as well as the general public.
"I hope that as many people and organisations as possible will take the opportunity to respond to the provisional recommendations and contribute to the shaping of local government."
