Anger as councillors block Queen’s Platinum Jubilee but fund Irish unity talks

During a council meeting in recent days, nationalist councillors said council policy was that such events could be funded - but not organised by - the council, but unionists point to the fact the council is supporting discussions on Irish unification.

DUP MLA Keith Buchanan said: “Far from working to alleviate recent controversies, Sinn Fein seem content to double down on their disrespect and dismissal of British identity in Northern Ireland.”

He noted that Sinn Fein ministers at Stormont have blocked a memorial stone and rose planting to mark the NI Centenary, as well as the planting of roses for the Queen’s Platinum jubilee.

He added: “Many of the same councillors who want to prevent others celebrating a major occasion that will be marked worldwide were quite prepared to see £16,000 of ratepayers money spent establishing a working group to promote discussion on the topic of a united Ireland.”

UUP Councillor Meta Graham, added: “It is nothing short of shameful that rather than extend the hand of friendship to unionists, nationalism and republicanism in Mid Ulster Council have chosen to demonstrate a meanness of spirit and that tells us all we need to know as to their future intentions.”

The DUP motion was to recognise that the Queen acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952 and called on the council to write “a letter of congratulations and best wishes to Her Majesty and also organise a programme of meaningful and respectful events to commemorate this significant occasion”. The motion was defeated by 24 votes to 14 along party lines.

Sinn Fein group leader, Councillor Cathal Mallaghan said that the council has an understanding as to how these types of events are dealt with.

“We ask the community to do this on our behalf as a civic authority and that has been the case since this council has begun and this has been the case since events to mark 1916 and other things,” he said.

“We have funding opportunities for the community to take advantage of if they want to put on different events and that is how I feel this type of event should be taken forward.”

SDLP group leader, Councillor Malachy Quinn, expressed a similar view.

“I have no issue with writing the letter but there are funding opportunities and we have a way of dealing with these sort of events as we have done over the past number of years,” he said.

But councillor Cuthbertson said it was his understanding the ‘decade of anniversaries’ is over and the council is now in a new arrangement and noted the motion has not asked for any additional funding to be made available.

“This Council is to spend £16,000 to talk about a pipe dream and tell people how worse off they will be in the Republic of Ireland,” he said.

“£16,000 set aside for that, what would it cost to light a beacon in one town in Mid Ulster? We are not asking for a pot of money. I believe this is an initiative that could be cross community as our foreign national communities will buy into this.”

Meanwhile, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has set aside £250,000 to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, despite objections from the Alliance Party and Sinn Fein over the cost.

The issue was raised at Council’s recent monthly meeting by Alliance Party councillor Eoin Tennyson. He noted that the community and leisure services committee agreed the council would hire an external events company to help deliver activities to mark The Queen’s platinum jubilee with a budget of £250,000.

Mr Tennyson proposed the council approve a budget of between £50,000 – £60,000 to run a smaller scale celebration, which was seconded by his party colleague, Councillor Peter Lavery.

“The figure of £250,000 was pulled from thin air by councillors in a working group,” he said. “There was no systematic thought-out budgeting process and no consideration of value for money for the rate payer.”

He continued by describing the expenditure as “excessive and obscene” and called for a balance to be struck between “delivering a positive vibrant worthwhile jubilee celebration and the financial pressures we face”.

Sinn Fein councillor Catherine Nelson told the chamber she had already spoken on this issue during the committee’s discussion of the matter and described the potential spend of £250,000 as “nothing short of ludicrous”.

But Councillor Darryn Causby suggested neither the Alliance Party or Sinn Fein were concerned about “letting the facts get in the way of a good election broadcast” before noting the budget had been agreed months ago. “That decision was made two or three meetings ago at least,” he said. Critics may bring a rescinding motion at the next council meeting, he added.

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