Councillor Barry McElduff appointed Council Chair for 2022-2023

At the Annual Meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council held in the Townhall Chamber with some members in the Chamber and others joining via Webex, Councillor Barry McElduff, Sinn Féin, was nominated as Council Chair for 2022-23. Councillor Allan Rainey MBE, Ulster Unionist Party, was nominated as Council Vice Chair for the incoming year.

Accepting the role of Chair of the Council, Councillor McElduff said:

“the position of Chair of the Council is a great honour and I am delighted to accept the role for the ensuing year. I am grateful to my party colleagues for entrusting me with this responsibility. I look forward to serving all the people of the district to the best of my ability and to take every opportunity to promote our district.

The theme of my term of office will be wellbeing; wellbeing of the people and of the district. Mindful of they work they do in relation to the well being of residents in our community, I would also like to support, particularly the work of St Vincent de Paul during my term.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to working in partnership with stakeholders across a range of sectors to improve the lives of all residents and I am keen to see that collaboration continues to deliver such positive results. I am committed to ensuring that the Council, as a civic authority, provides strong leadership and continues to support business, voluntary and community sectors right across the district to ensure that the recovery from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic remains strong and sustainable.

I look forward to working with all Councillors as Council Chair to deliver a positive and creative agenda to reinforce the position of the district as a great place to live, work, visit and invest in.

Our district has a rich natural and built environment which attracts visitors to the area in large numbers and it is encouraging to see some of our flagship events return to the calendar after a three year hiatus. One of my key priorities as Chair will be to ensure that the potential of the district is fully maximised.

I would like to congratulate the outgoing Chair, Councillor Errol Thompson and Vice Chair, Councillor Chris McCaffrey, on doing such an excellent job in their respective roles. As regulations and restrictions eased the number of in-person events and their workload increased. I certainly look forward to building on the work which they have undertaken over the past year on behalf of all the people of the district. in a positive and constructive manner over the next year.”

The following Councillors were nominated as Chairs of the Council’s Standing Committees for 2022-23:

Environmental Services: Councillor John McClaughry

Regeneration & Community: Councillor Mark Buchanan

Policy & Resources: Councillor Errol Thompson

Planning: Councillor Thomas O’Reilly

Brexit: Councillor Eamon Keenan

All 40 Councillors are members of the Standing Committees, with the exception of the Planning Committee which has a membership of 13 Councillors.

The members of the Planning Committee were nominated as follows:

Councillor Thomas O’Reilly (Chair)

Councillor Glenn Campbell

Councillor John Coyle

Councillor Josephine Deehan

Councillor Anthony Feely

Councillor Mary Garrity

Councillor Robert Irvine

Councillor Tommy Maguire

Councillor John McClaughry

Councillor Barry McElduff

Councillor Allan Rainey MBE

Councillor Paul Robinson

Councillor Errol Thompson

The first full Council meeting of the 2022-23 Council term will take place both in the Council Chamber, The Grange and virtually via Webex on Tuesday 7 June 2022 at 7pm and will be live-streamed on the Council YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/FermanaghOmaghDistrictCouncil.