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Council
The Council is composed of 23 members elected every 4 years by proportional representation and meets monthly.
An annual meeting of the Council is held in June each year when the election of the Mayor takes place together with other appointments to committees and statutory bodies.
The Council meets regularly in the Council Chamber and members of the public and the press are welcome to attend monthly council meetings and so can view democracy in action.
Please note the number of visitor spaces within the Chamber is limited. Members of the public wishing to attend the Council meeting must be signed in by an Elected Member before admittance is granted.
The Council meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 7.00 p.m.
Consultative Role
The Council has a most important role in presenting opinions and advising central government departments on a variety of regional services. Special emphasis is placed on planning but consultation also takes place regarding the construction and maintenance of roads, sewerage and water services.
Consultation also extends to public housing which is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive but as Council members are closely attuned to the housing needs in their areas the Executive seeks after their views.
Representative Role
In recognition of the importance of working in partnership to represent the needs of the ratepayers Council members are represented in a wide range of external boards and committees including, but no means exclusively, the Eastern Health & Social Services Council, the Greater East Belfast Partnership, the National Association of Councillors, the Northern Ireland Local Government Association and the Eastern Group Environmental Health Committee.
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