Councils plunge into £400m debt

Only Magherafelt Council was free of debt

Northern Ireland's councils have debts totalling almost £400m, Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has revealed.

Ballymena, with debts of more than £30m, tops the league.

News of the debt levels came as the Northern Ireland Local Government Association raised concerns about falling revenue and cuts to services.

Belfast, the largest council, owed £20m while Magherafelt was the only one of Northern Ireland's 26 councils to remain debt-free.

Newtownabbey had debts of £28m and Coleraine owed £27m, while Derry City Council owed £21m.

Even before the debt levels were confirmed, Councillor Helen Quigley, president of NILGA, warned that council services may have to be cut due to falling revenue.

WHAT THE COUNCILS OWE Antrim £23m Ards £15m Armagh £21m Ballymena £30M Ballymoney £9.5m Banbridge £13m Belfast £20m Carrickfergus £13m Castlereagh £17m Coleraine £27m Cookstown £1m Craigavon £8m Derry £21m Down £15m Dungannon £2m Fermanagh £2m Larne £6m Limavady £8m Lisburn £21m Magherafelt £0 Moyle £8m Newry and Mourne £21m Newtownabbey £28m North Down £24m Omagh £10m Strabane £2m Total £367m Source Department of the Environment

She urged Finance Minister Nigel Dodds to take urgent action.

'Financial challenges'

A statement from the minister's office said he "was aware of the main issues facing councils" as a number of them have raised their concerns with him.

"Councils, like many individuals and organisations, are facing increased financial challenges in the current economic environment," the statement said.

"Measures introduced by the executive, such as the freeze on the regional rate element of domestic rates bills until 2011, will help individuals better deal with the challenges they face.

"Indeed, the average bill faced by local households will be around £1,000 lower over the three years to 2011 than they would have been under direct rule."

The statement added that the minister was "keen to listen to the concerns of local government and will be carefully considering the letter he received from NILGA".