Council position clarified on scaling back on resources to the media

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council's Newry offices.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, which is considering scaling back on its resources to the media during meetings, will seek to redeploy staff to other corporate duties.

NMDDC’s strategy, policy and resources committee recently debated the need to refocus its ‘democratic services department’ following the end of remote meetings for councillors (March 6).

The council will now review the need to reduce the need for staff members at each meeting being scaled back from two members to one.

A council spokesperson has now clarified its position on the democratic services department.

She said: “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council can strongly confirm that there are no plans to scale down the team in the council’s democratic services department.

“In fact, we are actively working to utilise resources more effectively and efficiently to better serve our corporate priorities and objectives.”

The committee had been informed that two democratic services staff were needed to enable the press to join meetings online.

By removing the online service to the press, the amount of democratic services staff needed at each meeting would only need to be one person.

According to the council CEO, Maire Ward, the local authority could now instead look to provide a new online streaming or broadcast service of the meetings.

A report is now due to be brought back to the committee next month for debate.