Speculation is mounting as to which Ulster Unionist councillor will be the next Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

The UUP will be taking on the role and it is understood that either Enniskillen Councillor Robert Irvine or Erne North Councillor John McClaughry could be wearing the ceremonial chain for the next year.

Discussions are ongoing within the party and a final decision is yet to be made according to sources.

Councillor Irvine has been a councillor for over 20 years and was first elected to the legacy Fermanagh District Council in 2001 and served as a chairman on the legacy council and since government reform has served on Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

Councillor McClaughry was first elected to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in 2019, prior to entering politics he was a Police Officer. His father, Caldwell McClaughry was an Erne North Councillor for many years and served as chairman of the legacy Fermanagh Council.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas O’Reilly has held the role of chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council since 2023.

The vice-Chair for 2024-25 will be a Sinn Féin councillor, as was the case in year one of the 2023-2027 mandate courtesy of them being the majority party in Council. As the largest party in the Council, Sinn Féin held the position for year one of the mandate and the vice chairman role, they will hold the role again in year three and year four of the mandate.

Sinn Féin will hold vice chairman role again in year four while the DUP will take on the role of vice in year three meaning that the party will hold both the chair and vice-chair position in the first and final year of the 2023-2027 mandate.

Other decisions will be made on Monday, June 3 at the Annual General Meeting at Enniskillen Town Hall including who leads the various committees on Council.

Nominations for the position of vice chairman for various committees including, Regeneration and Community, Policy and Resources, and Planning will be heard. Other business will include the appointment of 17 members to the committees with the exception of the planning committee which will appoint 13 members.

The meeting will also hear an address from the outgoing chairman, Thomas O’Reilly on the year that has been as well as an address from the vice chairwoman Ann-Marie Donnelly.

The Council will meet again on Tuesday, June 4 at the Grange in Omagh and hold their usual monthly full Council meeting. An agenda for the evening was not published on the Council website at the time of going to print.