Councillors approve further community engagement for Irish unity working group

Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Governance and Strategic Planning committee has been updated on the progress of Council’s Constitutional Change / Unity Working Group.

It has also received details of the analysis of the results of the public call for evidence regarding constitutional change, prepared by Professor Mark Slevin from Ulster University - 'An analysis of views, experiences, research and evidence on views of constitutional change and the implications on the Council area and the wider Northwest Area. Thematic Analysis Report on Consultation on Constitutional Change and Irish Unity'.

The formation of Council’s Council’s Constitutional Change / Unity Working Group followed a motion passed at April 2022’s plenary Council meeting.

The motion recognised: “Discussion about a constitutional change is now well underway and this Council has a duty to consult with its ratepayers on this important issue and the implications for the Council area and the wider north-west”.

It also called on Council to “establish a working group on Irish unity and to begin a consultation with ratepayers and community and business representatives and with trade union, climate justice, LGBTQ+, migrant and social justice, all-island health, disability, mental health, rail and other social justice groups, to assess views on the issues related to constitutional change.” 

Further to its initial meeting, the agreed and endorsed purpose of the Working Group, which is open to all elected members, was to “inform and oversee an engagement process to establish the views of a wide range of stakeholders, in the Council area, on issues related to constitutional change and the implications for the Council area”. 

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External stakeholders are invited to participate, present or contribute to meetings of the Working Group, as required.

In September 2022, Derry City and Strabane District Council passed a further motion related to constitutional change.

It stated: “This Council notes and welcomes the recent announcement of two new Citizens’ Assemblies by the Irish Government. It further notes that Citizens’ Assemblies are powerful democratic exercises that inform citizens, allowing them to debate specifics, develop positions and inform policy. They have operated effectively in many jurisdictions across the world. 

“This Council calls on the Irish Government to establish an all-Ireland Citizens’ Assembly to debate and discuss our constitutional future. The debate on Irish Unity is live and growing, and we must plan for constitutional change, in the context of the Good Friday provision for a Unity referendum. 

“This Council also invites officials from the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit to present to Council and provide an update on activity and plans for the future.”

To date, 10 meetings of the Working Group have been held and documents / research papers continue to be identified, reviewed and collated within the Member Library and also added to a new ‘Constitutional Change Hub’ on the council's website: https://www.derrystrabane.com/about-council/corporate-services/constitutional-change. 

The most recent resource which was reviewed at the last meeting of the Working Group held on February 24, 2025 was the first interactive dashboard providing regional economic data on Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which has been prepared by the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC), in collaboration with Dublin City University. 

This dashboard provides the latest labour market data on employment rates, economic inactivity, hours worked, occupations and qualifications in Northern Ireland and the Southern, Northern and Western, and Eastern and Midlands regions of the Republic of Ireland.

An independent analysis of the results Council’s public call for evidence regarding constitutional change was carried out by Professor Mark Slevin from Ulster University. 

The results of this analysis were presented to the Working Group under five themes:  support for Irish Unity; economic and infrastructural development; governance and political reform; social justice and historical grievances; and concerns and opposition to change. 

There were a number of limitations which restricted the inferences that could  be made from this analysis but the consultation had identified several important themes that could be addressed in future research. 

It was previously noted that subject to the outcome of the consultation / call for evidence, further alternative, informal, structured and/or targeted engagement would be considered by the Working Group. 

It was also noted that the initial motion relating to constitutional change made reference to a number of stakeholder groups. 

In order to take forward this approach, a Member Workshop / Working Group meeting was held in September 2024 and representative organisations from the local economy, education, health and trade union sectors were invited to share their views directly with Elected Members on constitutional change and the implications for the Council area and the wider north-west. This meeting was attended by four organisations from the business, and health sectors. 

While none of these organisations had a formal position on constitutional change, example issues were identified including ability to recruit and retain staff, meeting demand, reduced funding, differential tax regimes, access to medicines and tourism. 

In reviewing the learning from this initial engagement, the Working Group suggested a further workshop be held, with details of the motion, and potential question areas for advance consideration provided to invitees -  Trade Union, Education, Section 75 and social justice groups. These organisations will also be given the opportunity to make a written submission as opposed to attending the workshop. 

In addition, Members of the Working Group suggested a third tranche of engagement with the community, in the community, should take place.

To date, there has been no progress in regard to the invite to the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit to present to Council and provide an update on activity and plans for the future. 

At Tuesday’s Governance and Strategic Planning committee meeting, members endorsed the approach to representative organisations being invited to attend further Member Workshop / Working Group meetings.

Approval, excepting the abstention of Ald Derek Hussey, was also given to a third trance of engagement with the community, subject to a report being brought on the detailed proposals, cost and other implications prior to actioning.