Carnegie UK response to NILGA Call for Evidence for the Review of the Roles and Responsibilities of Councillors

The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) are reviewing the roles and responsibilities of Councillors. Organisationally, Carnegie UK have a long history working in Northern Ireland. From 2017 – 2021, we ran a programme titled Northern Ireland: Embedding Wellbeing in Local Government. We were pleased to contribute to this review, highlighting key recommendations from this work and sharing the wider research outputs.

Key messages:

• Councillors should work in partnership with local people and stakeholders to identify shared priorities for their communities

• Induction and training (including mentoring) for Councillors should be prioritised

• Induction, resourcing and training to support effective delivery of community planning legislation is key.

• Democratic wellbeing, including trust in government, in Northern Ireland is low. Enacting these recommendations could help positively address these challenges.