Councillors from the recently elected Antrim and Newtownabbey District Council have taken part in the first of a series of Workshops aimed at building a vibrant, dynamic local government for the new Council area. Funded by the Department of Environment, the Workshops brought together not only local Councillors but also representatives from some of the transferring functions.

Speaking at the event, Councillor Mandy Girvan, Presiding Councillor of the new Council commented: "It's certainly a time of great change. Not only do we have a new Council, we will also see many functions, including planning transferring over which will give the Council a broader base of responsibility. Tonight is the time to begin the process of developing strong working relationships, both internally with each other and with our partners from the transferring functions. It's the opportunity to examine how we can best meet the needs of our residents, along with other statutory bodies, through the community planning process."

Councillor Mervyn Rea, Deputy Presiding Councillor later commented: "We're very fortunate that over a period of time we have been building a strong partnership between Members and between staff in Antrim and Newtownabbey in preparation for the amalgamation."

(CD)