NO Fermanagh and Omagh District councillors have yet confirmed whether they will attend an event next month to prepare local services for emergency response situations, such as extreme weather events.
One of the concerns they have had about the event, which takes place near Cookstown in Feburary, is that it clashes with a Council planning committee meeting, and some councillors would have to miss lunch to attend.
The event by the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) will set out civil contingencies in the North for instances of emergency response situations. It will provide a strategic overview of arrangements of the Resilience Team and hear from The Executive Office on the Civil Contingencies Risk Register and Civil Contingencies Framework.
It will also detail planning, response and recovery arrangements from resilience managers and councils emergency planning leads, Met Office overviews on severe Weather Forecasting Arrangements in Northern Ireland as well as role of the Department for Infrastructure Rivers Directorate in Flooding Preparedness and Response.
The invitation to councillors was brought before the recent Policy and Resources Committee meeting at which Chief Executive Alison McCullough said the event is a free to attend, adding: “This is something we would encourage attendance and members obviously have significant interest in out district’s and contingencies arrangements and this will be an opportunity to see what government is doing. I know NILGA are keen for councillor representation.”
She asked for nominations to be provided for attendance however, no names were put forward.
Councillor Robert Irvine, Ulster Unionist pointed out: “That clashes with the (February) Planning Committee meeting in Omagh.”
Ms McCullagh replied the event: “Will conclude by 1pm”.
