Bid to push through Feile an Phobail £200k halted

Although a council committee had sought clarification last month around how the extra cash would be spent, Sinn Fein councillors at Monday night’s meeting proposed bypassing the committee process to formally approve the grant.

One of those who spoke out against the motion was PUP councillor John Kyle.

Describing the request as “ridiculous,” Cllr Kyle said it was not acceptable to proceed “when we haven’t had a proper discussion and there hasn’t been an explanation” for allocating such a substantial sum of money.

On Tuesday, he said his opposition was strictly on the grounds that a further £200,000 allocation from that particular funding pot appears “disproportionate and inequitable,” when Feile and Phobail is “already very substantially funded by numerous sponsors”.

Cllr Kyle added: “My issue is that Feile has had a lot of extra funding over the past three years, and a large amount of the £500,000 diversionary funding for community festivals will end up with Feile, so what I’m saying is ‘let’s call a halt here and look at the broader picture.’ They deliver a very good community festival...but we need to have an equitable process that is fair and transparent.”

Speaking during the debate on the motion, Sinn Fein’s Ciaran Beattie said: “Some people see Feile and they feel they have to be opposed. Why? It’s a working class festival. It it was the Proms in the Park...then £95,000 is nothing for one night”.

The council voted 33-21 to return the matter to the committee for further discussion.