“People matter, not allowances”: UUP’s Alan Barr rules out strike action as councillors balloted

Ulster Unionist Party councillor for Braid, Alan Barr

Ulster Unionist Party councillor Alan Barr has vowed not to take part in industrial action over councillor allowances, insisting that his priority is to restore trust in local government.

The Braid representative said he received formal notification from the National Association of Councillors (NAC) outlining proposals for industrial action, which could see councillors across Northern Ireland stage a full strike or adopt a “work to rule” approach.

But Cllr Barr said he had chosen to reject both options.

“The option I chose was to accept the Minister’s recommendations and take no further action,” he explained.

“The reason why I chose this option is because one of my priorities is to restore trust in local government. This is a promise that I made during my election campaign and one which I continue to keep.”

He warned that any form of industrial action would ultimately punish local residents.

“By taking any sort of industrial action, the only ones who would suffer would be the numerous people who contact me on a weekly basis,” he said.

“Industrial action could mean that a road defect is not dealt with; a phone-call to the Housing Executive is not made; bins are left unemptied; a playpark defect is not fixed; or a community group misses out on a funding opportunity. This is something that I am not prepared to let happen. People matter to me – not allowances.”

Cllr Barr urged colleagues across Northern Ireland to follow suit:

“I hope that all councillors will put their constituents rather than their bank balances first and say no to any sort of industrial action. Remember we are elected by the people to give them 100% representation and industrial action would mean turning our backs on the very people who elected us.”

Background to the dispute

Councillors in Northern Ireland are being balloted by the NAC on whether to take strike action in response to the Department for Communities’ rejection of several key proposals from the Mawhinney Review on the Roles and Responsibilities of Councillors.

The independent review, published in August 2024, recommended a new baseline Basic Allowance of £21,935. However, in April 2025, the Department approved only a 5% increase, raising the allowance from £17,030 to £18,329.

Other recommendations rejected by the Minister included:

• No standard mileage allowance for councillor duties

• No uniformity in Special Responsibility Allowances across councils

• No severance payments for long-serving councillors

• No attendance allowance for representing councils on outside bodies

The NAC argued that councillors’ workloads regularly exceed 40–60 hours per week, and that the increase amounted to a “pay cut”, given that the Department based the new rate on councillors working 20 hours per week, up from 18.5.

In a letter to its 460 members, the NAC said:

“This falls short of recognising the full scope and intensity of councillors’ work… Some see this as a pay cut as the Minister’s response to the review states, ‘The 5% increase proposed is based on councillors working 20 hours per week.’”

Members are being asked to choose between three options:

1. Full strike – withdrawal from all council duties for a set period

2. Work to rule – limit duties to 20 hours a week and attend only selected meetings

3. Accept the Minister’s response and take no further action

The NAC has recommended Option 2, arguing it would put pressure on the Department without directly impacting constituent services.

Councillors must reply with their preferred option by 19 September 2025.