09/02/2026
๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ โ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐๐/๐๐
The DUP Group on Mid Ulster District Council has expressed disappointment at the decision to set the District Rate increase at 3.4% for the 2026/27 financial year.
From the outset of this yearโs rate-setting process, the DUP worked constructively to deliver the lowest possible rate increase for local households and businesses, while ensuring that core council services could continue to be delivered efficiently and responsibly.
The DUP initially proposed a 2.84% increase, reflecting a balanced and prudent approach at a time when families and businesses are already under significant financial pressure. When this proposal was rejected, the DUP engaged further in good faith. Unionist parties subsequently united behind a revised proposal of 2.85%, demonstrating a clear, responsible and collaborative alternative focused on protecting ratepayers.
Regrettably, this joint proposal was also voted down. Instead, a 3.4% increase proposed by Sinn Fรฉin was carried, following the decision of the SDLP to abstain. As a result, residents and businesses across Mid Ulster will now face a higher rate rise than was both achievable and avoidable.
The DUP remains firmly committed to standing up for ratepayers, advocating for value for money, transparency in council spending, and a more balanced approach to rate-setting that recognises the real pressures facing households and the local economy.
