- Councils have a statutory responsibility to improve their functions, collectively referred to as Performance Improvement. The Local Government Auditor (LGA) is required to perform an improvement audit and assessment each year and summarise the findings of this work.
- On 29 November 2025, the LGA certified the performance arrangements with an unqualified audit opinion, without modification. The LGA also reported that Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council has discharged its performance improvement and reporting duties, including its assessment of performance for 2024-25 and its 2025-26 improvement plan, and has acted in accordance with the legislation and guidance. No statutory recommendations or special inspections were required at the Council this year.
- The Council’s improvement plan, published in June 2025, sets out its improvement objectives. The LGA’s audit work considered both the 2024-25 self-assessment report and the 2025-26 improvement plan.
- The LGA is also required to assess whether in his/her view the Council is likely to comply with Part 12 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 during 2025-26. The LGA concluded that the Council is likely to discharge its duties in respect of Part 12 of the Act during 2025-26 and has demonstrated a track record of improvement.
- The LGA’s report to the Council did not outline any proposals for improvement. Any such matters are raised by the LGA to assist the Council to meet its performance improvement responsibilities or help to ensure that the work it does is transparent and meaningful to citizens.
- Legislation requires the comparison of performance improvement information amongst councils so far as is reasonably practicable. More progress needs to be made by the sector to allow a broader range of functions to be compared to support councils with their General Duty to Improve, in accordance with section 84 of the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Act 2014.
- Under the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, Councils are required to prepare prospective reports on how they are adapting to climate change in the exercise of their functions. At present individual councils are at varying stages in their journey toward the NI Executive’s target of a 48 per cent reduction in their baseline emissions by 2030. If Councils are to link climate change and sustainable action to their performance objectives or even as part of their wider continuous improvement arrangements in future years, it will be necessary to consider arrangements to improve, including ensuring adequate resourcing and gathering of accurate data.
- More specific and detailed information in relation to the work that Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council is undertaking to meet its improvement responsibilities can be obtained from its website or contacted directly.
Brian O’Neill
Local Government Auditor
31 March 2026