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That 11 "Super Council" Deal
Things have been a bit slow at EU here over the last couple of days. It's awful when real life gets in the way of blogging. Anyway, apparently a "deal" has been done on the councils. We've been spared the silly idea of a reduction to 7 super councils (which Sinn Fein alone wanted) and instead we're getting 11 councils which, as far as I can tell, nobody wanted (except maybe the DUP).
It seems like the areas proposed under the deal would see Newtownabbey and Carrick spared the indignity of joining up with Lisburn (as well as the massive potential expense of funding Lagan Valley's white elephant), although they look like being split from each other too, which is odd considering it's nearly impossible to spot the boundary. Of course there's no shift in Belfast because any expansion would probably bring in a net increase in the number of Prods in Belfast, and that would never do, not matter how much it makes sense in terms of planning, transport etc.
Follow up:
In the north west Limavady will be absorbed into what seems like being a predominantly Unionist council (I think - more balanced anyway), which may reassure those who were rightly outraged over the recent "google this guy to see if he offends us" antics of Limavady councillors, though it leaves the minority unionists in Londonderry still looking even more marginalised after being lumped in with strongly nationalist Strabane (there probably wasn't much could be done about that though).
Whatever way they divvied the country up there were going to be winners and losers, so at the end of the day it's getting harder and harder to get that excited over the whole affair.
In summary the 11 areas (the 'names' are made up by me) are:
- Belfast - as is
- South-west Antrim - Newtownabbey & Antrim
- Mid-Antrim - Ballymena, Larne, Carrickfergus
- North Coast - Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Moyle
- Londonderry & Strabane
- Fermanagh & Omagh
- Mid-Ulster - Cookstown, Dungannon, Magherafelt
- Armagh, Craigavon, Banbridge
- South Down, Newry & Mourne
- Lisburn & Castlereagh
- North Down & Ards