A COUNCIL has proposed a 10 per cent hike in rates and cuts to a raft of services due to serious financial problems.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said the next budget has been "extremely difficult and challenging" as a result of "significant high level pressures".
The proposed household rates increase is believed to be the largest by any of Northern Ireland's 11 councils since their inception.
Cuts are planned to a range of services including black bin collections becoming monthly rather than fortnightly, cutting street cleaning services, increasing street trading licence fees, and not hiring a new GAA development officer.
The council is proposing a 2.18 per cent rise in the non-domestic rate and 9.99 per cent rise in the domestic rate, according to plans discussed at last night's council meeting.
SDLP councillor Margaret Anne McKillop called for the appointment of independent consultants to "examine root and branch the senior workings of this council".
Opposing a rates increase, she said the council "cannot expect the public to compensate for what is seen by an increasing number of people as mismanagement".
"We need to face up to the harsh reality that we are at financial breaking point, we need to meticulously detail what the problems are and more importantly, what the long-term solutions are," she said.
Ms McKillop also disclosed an anonymous letter she received from a council staff member about the continuing problems.
Concerns escalated last month after another councillor said he had obtained leaked minutes of a meeting in which senior staff warned of the "financial crisis".
The documents claimed the council was around £75 million in debt and suggested a 15 per cent increase in rates would be needed in the next financial year to run services.
Independent councillor Padraig McShane, who received the leaked documents last month, has called for a "full forensic audit" of the council.
On the proposed 10 per cent rates rise, he said: "Since the inception of the new group of 'supercouncils', there has never been a rates rise of that nature."
The north's 11 councils were formed in 2014 through a merging of the 26 former councils under local government reforms.
The Audit Office last month confirmed it had met with a "cross-party delegation of councillors" to discuss concerns about the council's finances.
The Department for Communities has also confirmed it is "aware of the financial position" facing the Causeway Coast and Glens, and "further meetings" are planned between the council and Stormont officials.
