𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 — 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬! скачать в хорошем качестве

𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 — 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬!

As your independent councillor, I've been pushing hard to fix unequal access to key council information — something that became more noticeable after the 2023 changes. First, independents and smaller groups had no access to the agendas and minutes from the Party Group Leaders Forum, an important informal space where party leaders discuss council business behind the scenes. This created an imbalance in information access for non-party or smaller-group members. Ahead of tonight's meeting, the Chief Executive and his office acknowledged this was an anomaly, apologised, and confirmed that all councillors — including independents and smaller groups — will now receive proper notifications and full access going forward. My planned notice of motion wasn't needed — a great proactive result! Second (and closely related): Non-committee members like me weren't getting papers for important meetings, such as a recent special Governance & Audit Committee audit report. This risked some councillors missing out on council-wide issues that affect everyone. I asked for a review and proposed a straightforward fix: circulate all committee papers and reports to every councillor, whether they're a member of that committee or not. The proposal passed unanimously — another clear step forward! These two changes are part of the same push: ensuring equal information access for every elected member, no exceptions. When all councillors start from the same base of knowledge, we build greater trust, reduce silos, and strengthen local democracy for the benefit of residents across the ward and the whole area. Proud to have helped deliver these practical improvements — fairness and openness make council more effective and accountable for everyone. Onward! #Transparency #Openness #Lisburn #NorthernIreland #NIPolitics