Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council voted against extending car parking charges in a U-turn at a meeting in Mossley Mill on Monday evening.
Earlier this month, the council’s Operations Committee approved charges at an additional four car parks in the borough to bring in £650,000 revenue as the local authority considers its financial position ahead of rate-setting in February.
Speaking at this week’s meeting, Sinn Fein group leader Glengormley Councillor Michael Goodman proposed increasing the hourly rate at the three existing “chargeable” car parks from 20 pence to 40 pence instead which would bring in an additional £140k.
This proposal was seconded by party colleague Airport Cllr Annemarie Logue and was carried following a vote in which 25 councillors, including the DUP, were in favour with 11 Alliance, Ulster Unionist and Ballyclare Independent Cllr Michael Stewart, against. Mayor Antrim Alliance Cllr Neil Kelly was in favour of the proposal.
The new charge will apply at car parks at Railway Street, Antrim, Market Square, Ballyclare and Whiteabbey Village.
Cllr Goodman also proposed the distribution of six rolls of food waste caddy liners annually as the council seeks to cut this annual cost of £185,000.
The borough council provides food waste caddy liners free of charge on demand as an incentive for recycling domestic food waste.
Households receive rolls of liners by attaching a tag to the handle of their brown bin, from council sites and some community facilities. A reduction to two rolls per annum would result in a saving of £70k.
Cllr Logue said that just two rolls of bags per year would be “a step too far”.
“We have already made quite a a lot of cutbacks at committee. We will see financial implications coming forward. With green bags, we are trying to improve recycling.”
Glengormley Ulster Unionist Alderman Mark Cosgrove asked about the implications if every household in the borough is given an extra four rolls of bags.
Macedon Alliance Cllr Billy Webb MBE asked where income would be generated given the decision to just increase car park charges instead of also extending charges to four additional car parks.
Ownership of 11 car parks was transferred to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in 2015.
Chief executive Richard Baker stated: “The situation is that it is about balancing income and expenditure. If you are reducing income, then you have to reduce expenditure accordingly.”
He pointed out that 50 per cent of costs are staffing. Others include property maintenance, energy bills and fleet management with potential savings “very limited”.
He indicated that opening hours of household recycling centres and the most expensive times to staff other facilities, such as bank holidays, have been discussed.
In response to a query from Macedon Ulster Unionist Cllr Robert Foster over a potential reduction in services, the chief executive said: “That is clearly one of the plans we have to look at.”
An officer told the committee the provision of six caddy liner rolls would amount to a cost of £40k adding that it is recommended that liners are changed only when caddies are full.
Cllr Goodman’s proposal fell after 11 councillors voted in favour with 25 against.
Glengormley Sinn Fein Cllr Eamonn McLaughlin asked for an equality assessment to be carried out saying the decision would impact on elderly and disabled people in the borough. He was advised it would be subject to a screening process.
Cllr Foster commented that distribution of caddy liners to those who require assistance had been recognised at the Operations Committee meeting.
A new charge for the council’s bulky waste collection service was approved. The local authority received 16,000 bookings during 2023/24 at a cost of £335k.
Currently, bulky collections are free of charge without restrictions.
Councillors agreed the introduction of a restriction for residents with one collection in a 12-month period for a maximum of three items with a £10 charge for any bulky collection thereafter in the same period.
An increase in burial and cremation charges for the next financial year was also ratified by the council. A report presented to the Operations Committee said the council’s resident cremation rate is the second lowest in the UK.
A new levy of £200 for burials in the borough at weekends and bank holidays is expected to be introduced in April.
Almost 1,000 cremations have taken place during the first 12 months at the £6m council-owned crematorium which opened at Doagh Road, Newtownabbey, in June 2023. The cost of cremations will increase from £550 to £650 for residents and from £950 to £1,000 for non-residents.
It is estimated that income generated from the price rises would be £205,000.
Councillors have also approved a rise in the cost of admission to next year’s Enchanted Winter Garden event at Antrim Castle Gardens for non-residents.