Reappointments to the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee

Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA, has reappointed the following as Members of the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC) from 1 April 2024 until 31 March 2028:

•  Mr Paul Francey
• Mrs Antoinette McMillen
• Mr Michael Rafferty
• Mr John Tohill

All four members have served on NILGOSC from 1 April 2020.

The Minister has also reappointed the following as NILGOSC Members from 1 October 2024 until 30 September 2028:

• Mr Kenneth Clayton
• Mr Alan Law
• Mr Shane McCurdy
• Mr Peter Moore

These four members have served on NILGOSC from 1 October 2020.

The second term of appointment of Mrs Joan McCaffrey has been extended until a new Independent Member is appointed. She has served on the Committee since 1 March 2016.

NILGOSC was established to operate a pension scheme for the local councils and other similar bodies in Northern Ireland. The pension scheme is a defined benefit pension scheme. NILGOSC is the corporate body responsible for the administration of the Scheme and is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Communities.

Notes to editors: 

Notes to editors:

1. The Member positions are eligible for a daily allowance of £250 for a minimum commitment of two days per month.
2. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published, with any relevant detail provided in the individual biographies below.
3. Biographical Details

Mr Paul Francey - Mr Francey is a Union Branch Secretary and has previous experience of sitting on the NILGOSC Local Government Advisory Board. He has experience relating to communication and influencing skills, and experience of leading and managing on pay disputes within the public sector. He also brings governance, finance and public accountability knowledge to the Committee. He has been an Employee Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2024. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mrs Antoinette McMillen - Mrs McMillen is an acting Deputy General Secretary of a public sector Trade Union through which she has developed communication, strategies and gained experience of building working relationships with a broad range of people and organisations in the public and private sectors. As a Trade Union Official she has experience of making decisions, developing policy, strategy and tackling complex issues. She led teams through a range of difficult campaigns and reviews such as the Review of Public Administration. She has been an Employee Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 April 2020. She holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mr Michael Rafferty - Mr Rafferty is a Chartered Accountant with experience across the private, public and third sectors, and is currently the Group Director of Finance & Resources for Choice Housing Association. He brings skills and experience relating to financial management and risk management to the Committee, in complex organisational and regulatory environments. Mr Rafferty also has project management experience, including the creation and implementation of new policies. He has been an Employer Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mr John Tohill - Mr Tohill is Strategic Director of Corporate Services and Finance and a member of Mid Ulster District Council’s Senior Management Team with responsibility for the finance function, and the design and implementation of effective controls. He has experience of using communication and influencing skills in a complex public sector reform environment involving challenging restructuring and cultural issues. He has been an Employer Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 April 2020. He holds no other public appointments and has no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mr Kenneth Clayton - Mr Clayton, now retired, was a Trade Union Coordinator in Belfast City Council through which he has a range of experience relating to industrial relations matters, including as lead TU official in a range of negotiations. As a Union Branch Chair (Unite), he has held a range of positions in various committees and working groups, such as the Local Government Joint Reform Group and the Unions Local Authority Pension’s Committee, though which he gained experience in good governance and financial management. He has been an Employee Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 October 2020. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mr Alan Law - Mr Law is a Trade Union Official with NIPSA which involves leading in various negotiations with experience of developing and sustaining relationships with a range of stakeholders. He is currently the Chair of the Trustees of NIPSA's Defined Benefit Pension Scheme through which he analyses investment reports, challenges, assumptions and seeks advice from advisors. He has also experience in responding to consultations and developing policies which have covered finance functions and governance. He has been an Employee Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 October 2020. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mr Shane McCurdy - Mr McCurdy is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. He is the current Head of Corporate Services at the Controlled Schools’ Support Council and a former Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB). In that role he was responsible for the management and governance of all matters relating to the affairs of the Board and educational support services. For many years he had been the Chief Finance Officer for the NEELB and he was the Interim Head of Finance for the Education Authority on its establishment in 2015. He has been an Employer Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 October 2020. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Mr Peter Moore - Mr Moore is a Qualified Chartered Accountant employed by Translink with responsibility for economic appraisals and post project evaluations as well as other financial and economic matters. He has been, and continues to be, a member of a number of project boards where he provides a challenge function and looks to ensure consensus is reached, particularly in the area of project governance. He presents the Matters for Approval at Translink’s monthly executive meeting. His experience has allowed him to build effective relationships at all levels within Translink and the Department for Infrastructure. He has been an Employer Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 October 2020. He holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

Ms Joan McCaffrey - Ms McCaffrey is a former Chief Finance Officer and a former Director of Corporate Services and Governance in a district council, where she used a range of communication skills to influence key decisions. She was also actively involved in the development and implementation of numerous Corporate Plans. She was an Employer Organisation Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 March 2016 to 29 February 2020. She has been an Independent Representative Member on NILGOSC from 1 April 2020. She holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity in the last 5 years.

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