“We will take time to fully consider the findings from the Northern Ireland Audit Office, but it is clear this Report raises serious questions for the Council.
It is our view that all recommendations should be implemented. We are not convinced that the current Council leadership is best placed to take this reform forward.
We are particularly concerned that “inadequate information [was] presented by Senior Council Officers to Committees and Council to enable them to make informed decisions”.
It is clear the conduct of some Senior Council Officers fell well short of the standards one would have expected. Public bodies, funded by ratepayers, must be able to command the confidence of the community and their elected representatives. This confidence has been eroded.
We are also bound to ask the question what steps did the mysterious public representative take to raise this matter internally before embarking on this course of action with the SF Minister resulting in a massive cost to the ratepayers of £120,000?”