Getting to know your Councillors

Newry and Mourne District Council have just participated in a local government shadowing programme to help people from an ethnic minority community understand the workings of their council.

Have you ever wondered why your local Councillor always seems so busy, or what local government services your Council provides? Most people may not be too sure of the answers, but if you are from another country and living here, it would seem even more complicated.

In recognising this, the PEACE III Southern Partnership Programme’s Challenge of Change Priority lead by Newry and Mourne Council, has just completed the Local Government BME Shadowing Programme, a  4 month long pilot programme whereby local Councillors from Craigavon, Newry and Mourne, Armagh, Banbridge, and Louth volunteered to be ‘shadowed’ by someone from an ethnic minority community.  

This project has been managed by the PEACE III Southern Partnership’s Challenge of Change priority and supported by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund through the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE III) managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.  

In all, 11 Councillors and 16 participants from ethnic minority communities took part. The aim of the project, modelled on an initiative first pioneered by Bristol City Council in England, was to provide insight and knowledge for migrants on the workings of local government and that of Councillors.

The initiative was guided by the principles under Priority One, Reconciling Communities of the PEACE III Programme for Peace and Reconciliation 2007-2013.The objective of Building Positive Relations at Local Level aims to challenge attitudes towards sectarianism and racism and to support conflict resolution and mediation at the local community level.

Speaking about the Programme, Cllr Roy Mc Cartney Joint Chairman of the PEACE III Southern Partnership, and participating ‘shadowee’ said ,‘I was delighted to give of my time and show my Lithuanian ‘shadows’ some of the workings of Armagh Council and indeed my own work’. In addition, Raphael, a Polish participant said, ‘I went to a few meetings of Louth County Council with my ‘shadowee’ Colm, and I was helping on the Meath by-election canvass. I am definitely very happy on the Programme’.

The project finished with a final workshop attended by participants and Councillors on 25 June.