Last meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council before Local Government Elections  

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council held its final Council meeting of the current term (2019-2023) on Tuesday 4 April 2023, at the Grange, Omagh, with Local Government Elections due to take place on 18 May 2023.   

This Council term was an extremely challenging period with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 followed by a sustained economic crisis which has seen the Council and the wider District face unprecedented financial demands.   

During its 2019-2023 term, the Council, which is made up of 40 Councillors from across seven District Electoral Areas within the Fermanagh and Omagh district, adapted and responded to these challenges by leading and delivering an ambitious capital investment programme as well as a range of Council services and supports across the district to improve wellbeing of Fermanagh and Omagh residents and the district overall.   

Council services include but are not limited to waste collection and disposal; maintenance of parks and open spaces; environmental health; economic development; the ongoing operation of Council leisure centres, theatres and arts centres, visitor attractions, community facilities, public conveniences and administrative centres; Planning; the registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships and support for a range of events and initiatives.   

Other key activity of the 2019-2023 Council term include:  

• Completion of the Enniskillen Public Realm Scheme; 
• Transformation of Gortin Glen Forest Park into a must visit destination; 
• Approval and implementation of a Play Park Strategy to upgrade and transform play parks across the district including the development of a ‘destination’ play park at Grange Park, Omagh; 
• Investment and upgrades to a number of Council facilities across the district including recycling centres, community centres, visitor attractions, public car parks and public conveniences; 
• Renewal and regeneration of villages across the district through various funded programmes; 
• Establishment of Covid-19 Community Funding and Coordination Hub to support the community led response to assist those most vulnerable as the health pandemic continued to affect local communities; 
• Development of the former Enniskillen Workhouse into a state-of-the-art business development hub and heritage space; 
• Investing in the Full Fibre NI consortium to enhance fibre broadband infrastructure within the district; 
• Riverside Walk revitalisation project in Omagh; 
• Development and adoption of a number of key Plans to improve the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the district including the Mid South West Regional Economic Strategy; Enniskillen and Omagh Place Shaping Plans; Visitor Experience Development Plan for Fermanagh Lakelands and Omagh and the Sperrins and the Local Development Plan – Plan Strategy; and 
• Establishment of a programme of support for those most in need due to the impact of the ongoing cost of living crisis.  

Local Government Elections are due to take place on 18 May 2023, with the Election Count for the Fermanagh and Omagh district taking place on 19 and 20 May 2023 at Omagh Leisure Complex.  The newly elected Council will hold its first Annual Meeting in early June when positions of responsibility including Chair and Vice Chair of the Council and Chair of the various Council Committees, will be decided. Councillor Barry McElduff will continue to act as Chair of the Council until then.

The new Council term will run for four years, 2023 – 2027, with Councillors making decisions on behalf of residents to improve the overall wellbeing of Fermanagh and Omagh residents and the district.   

In 2023-2024, the newly established Council will oversee a £10.1 million capital investment programme for the district and a £43.3 million revenue budget to deliver Council services.