‘No central record of mayoral reception details’ says local Council

A local council has revealed it does not centrally hold records of mayoral visits and their associated cost since its formation in 2015.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Mayor Cllr Ivor Wallace came under pressure in August following his refusal to hold a reception for Antrim's All-Ireland winning camogie team.

After the refusal, Cllr Wallace posted on social media said 'cross-community' groups would be the focus of mayoral receptions.

“I have a finite budget to spend, and I will spend it however I see fit,” he said.

“I have absolutely no intention of having a reception for any organisation wedded to one side or the other.”

In response to an FOI request from the County Derry Post, the Council refused to disclose details around the subjects and costs of individual mayoral receptions held since their formation in 2015.

The response indicated that the cost of compliance with the request would have exceeded the appropriate limit of £450 – or 18 hours' work.

“In order to provide the information requested, Council would be required to manually extract information from the Mayor’s diary from 2015 until present so as to draw up a list of every reception hosted then trace the relevant purchase order and invoice from the supplier for each event,” said a spokesperson.

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Alderman George Duddy cited spending concerns in his proposal.

“This information is not held centrally and would necessitate a search of records in multiple sources which would exceed the appropriate limit.”

In a response that exceeded the statutory FOI response time by 22 days, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council provided only the total cost of mayoral receptions by year.

Since its inception in 2015/16, the Council's highest spend on mayoral receptions was £18,00 in 2018/19, during which time the UUP's Alderman Joan Baird was Mayor.

£17,100 was spend during Sinn Féin's Brenda Chivers' tenure in 2018/19, while the lowest figure (£445) came in Alderman Mark Fielding's Covid-hit 2020/21 stewardship.

Council spent approximately £73,445 on mayoral visits between 2015 and 2022, with a further £16,100 on civic receptions during the same period, an approximate total of £89,545.

Mayor Cllr Ivor Wallace.

Groups and individuals receiving civic receptions at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council are nominated by councillors, whereas the Mayor has control over mayoral receptions.

The delay in the response is in contrast with neighbouring Mid Ulster District Council, who received the FOI request on the same day and had responded by September 2, ten working days later.

Within this area, councillors nominate groups and individuals for civic receptions where their achievements are on a regional or higher level.

Members then submit evidence and council officers check the evidence to ensure the request complies with Council policy.

The Council Chair can also host their own receptions, with the cost coming from their own allowance.

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A spokesperson said Mid Ulster District Council had not commenced their civic reception programme until late 2016.

However, they provided a breakdown of dates, those individuals honoured and the amount spent on each event.

During 2017/18, Council spent £29,605 on civic receptions, the highest spend detailed in the response. A further £14,441 was spent in 2018/19, before that amount almost halved for the following year.

£7,855 was spent in 2019/20 and £7,864 in 2021/22, with an entry of zero recorded for the Covid-hit 2020/21 year.

The figures indicate a total of £59,765 spent on civic receptions in Mid Ulster District Council since its inception in 2015.