Outcomes of Consultation

The publication of the Terms of Reference on 11 June 2007 was accompanied by the launch of a 12 week consultation process ending on 31 August 2007.  

A total of 119 responses were received during the consultation. Of these, 28 were from organisations, 12 District Councils, 2 political parties and 77 from individual ratepayers with about a quarter of these from pensioners.

The Assembly has been formally advised of the publication of this report. A copy has also been sent to all Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive and the Committee for Finance and Personnel who will be considering it in detail over the course of October before responding.

Following the Committee’s findings, options will be developed and presented to the Executive and the Assembly informed by the outcomes of the consultation. When decisions have been made, proposals for change will then be published. This will have to occur before the end of the year to allow short term measures to be legislated for and implemented before billing in April.

This report * does not intend to imply any favoured policy direction regarding the various options for change and it should not be interpreted in that way. It merely acts as a summary of the responses (individual and organisational) received during the consultation process.