A report to be presented to the council’s Policy and Governance Committee, at a meeting, on Tuesday evening, also noted the council won the Best Services Team for its bereavement and cemetery services and was a finalist in five other categories. Advertisement Advertisement This is the first time that a local authority from Northern Ireland has won the main award. Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
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. Commenting on the council’s recent success, chief executive Richard Baker told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It is always about being better, always about improving services for the public. As chief executive, I want Antrim and Newtownabbey to be best in class in everything we do.
We are on the right track but it is all about improving. Advertisement Advertisement “If we want to improve our services, we will need investment in our services. From the ratepayers’ perspective, there is still much more we want to do.
” However, the chief executive refused to be drawn on rates bills which the borough’s households and businesses could expect in the next financial year. “We are generally fiscally responsible. I do think we are being very financially prudent as an organisation.
At the six-month point, we are w.
