Local Government Reform - Consultation on Policy Proposals

constituent wards. The <strong>Local</strong> <strong>Government</strong> Boundaries
Commissioner presented his report to the Department of the
Environment on 22 June 2009. When Executive decisions have
been made about the timetable for local government reorganisation,
the Department will bring forward legislation to the Assembly to give
effect to the Boundaries Commissioner’s recommendation, with or
without modification. This legislation will specify the boundaries of
the new local government districts and wards.
10.2. Legislation will then be required to:
• abolish the current local government districts;
• dissolve the current district councils; and
• establish a council for each of the new local government districts.
10.3. Section 2 of the <strong>Local</strong> <strong>Government</strong> Act (Northern Ireland) 1972
enables a district council to submit a petition to the Secretary of
State to request the granting of a charter designating the district of
the council as a borough. Also, section 132 of the 1972 Act made
provision at the time of the previous local government
reorganisation in 1973 for a new council, in certain circumstances,
to keep the borough status of an old council (i.e. one which was to
join with other councils to form the new council). It is proposed that
similar provisions to those in section 132 should be made to allow a
successor council to keep the borough or city status of an existing
council which is to join with another council (or other councils) to
form the new council.
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