Councillor hit with six-month suspension for controversial speech linking football club to senior republican

The sanction against independent representative Alderman Ruth Patterson was imposed by the Local Government Commissioner for Standards at a hearing in Belfast this morning.

The suspension will take effect from March 11, but the Botanic DEA representative, who didn’t attend the hearing, has previously said she will not be seeking re-election in May.

Alderman Patterson made her controversial claim about Crumlin Star in July 2017 after an official from the club had addressed members about the team’s battle to secure a suitable home pitch in Belfast.

The process against her was sparked by a complaint from SDLP councillor Tim Attwood, who attended the commission hearings with club officials.

Commissioner Marie Anderson ruled that Alderman Patterson’s comments during the council meeting had breached the Local Government Code of Conduct.

She said the long-serving councillor, who formerly represented the DUP, had “deliberately sought to misuse her position to disadvantage” the club and its then chairman.

Mrs Anderson said the alderman’s “deliberate and premeditated actions” had put the club and its members at risk, forcing them to review their security measures.

The hearing was told that Alderman Patterson’s controversial comments had come as she read out a speech prepared for her by loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson, who subsequently sought to represent her in the adjudication hearings but was not permitted to do so.

At a hearing on February 25, the commissioner found that during the meeting Alderman Patterson acted in breach of the code by linking the players and members of Crumlin Star to, in the alderman’s words, “a man named in Parliament as a senior member of the Provisional IRA.”

The commissioner considered this to be a deliberate act which caused offence to the players and members of the club.

Mrs Anderson decided that Alderman Patterson’s conduct at the meeting brought her position as a councillor, and the council, into disrepute. She also concluded that in making the comments she had not shown respect and consideration for others, and had not acted fairly, objectively or in the public interest.

During this morning’s hearing, the commissioner outlined a number of mitigating and aggravating factors in the case.

She described Alderman Patterson as a long-serving councillor and recognised that she had no previous history of breaching the code.

She said that although Mr Bryson had been the author of the speech, Alderman Patterson should have reflected on its content before delivering it in the council chamber.

Mrs Anderson also pointed out that the alderman had failed to make a meaningful apology, despite having had several opportunities to do so.

As well as condemning her comments and the impact they had on the club and its members, Mrs Anderson also said that she had “failed to show respect” for the process and the commissioner’s office.

The commissioner ruled that what Alderman Patterson said went beyond the boundaries of proper political debate and was “unnecessary and offensive”.

Mrs Anderson, who said that she will consider other mitigating factors in private before publishing her report, described the sanction as “appropriate”, pointing out that she could have imposed a suspension of up to 12 months.

She said decisions about the payment of salary and allowances to Alderman Patterson was a matter for Belfast City Council.

The hearing last month was told how on a “councillor response form” Alderman Patterson had initially apologised for what she had said, stating: “I bitterly regret and sincerely apologise for my actions,” but later “resiled” from that position.

The hearing was told that her claims had caused “significant concerns” for Crumlin Star – which was then playing its home games in Larne due to Amateur League pitch regulations – causing it to review its security procedures and fear for the future of its cross-community work.

Welcoming the outcome of the hearing, Patrick McGlinchey, secretary of Crumlin Star, said the club had been “vindicated” and called on Alderman Patterson to make a public apology for her remarks.

Councillor Attwood said Alderman Patterson’s comments in the council chamber had been “dangerous and reckless” and welcomed the six-month suspension.

According to the commissioner’s office, Alderman Patterson can appeal to the High Court against this decision in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.