‘Us and them’ row over funding for Queen’s Jubilee and St Patrick’s Day events

During a meeting of the Leisure and Community Development Committee on Tuesday members were asked to vote on a proposal that a sum of £20,000 should be set aside to fund Platinum Jubilee events across the district and establish a working group for the occasion.

The amount is still set to be ratified – which would see community groups get around £400 each – with some members hoping that the figure could be increased.

However, Sinn Fein’s Ryan Carlin said he was bringing his proposal forward because of “a lack of balance” in some of the recent events brought forward by the council.

In the last 18 months, council working groups have been established to mark the Northern Ireland centenary, Royal Hillsborough and the Queen’s Jubilee.

Cllr Carlin added: “I have no issue with the proposal but some of the concerns that I had during the Royal Hillsborough events when we were signing off on funding was primarily the lack of balance in some of the events that we’re bringing forward the funding that we’re spending.

“I would like to propose, to ensure that there is balance, that we look at setting up a working group around St Patrick’s Day under the same terms that we’re looking at here for the Queen’s Jubilee and events and that we would look to allocate similar funding for community groups to host their own events.”

The proposal was seconded by Alliance alderman, Amanda Grehan but she later withdrew after party colleague, Cllr David Honeyford, proposed bringing a report back looking at how St. Patrick’s Day could be celebrated across the district.

Meanwhile, independent unionist councillor, Nathan Anderson also questioned why an annual event needed a working group compared to the other “once-off historical” events.

The Castlereagh South elected member, who informed members that he was currently writing a thesis on St Patrick, said he could support such a working group if proposed for 2032 because that would mark 1600-years since the arrival of Ireland’s patron saint to the islands.

DUP alderman, James Tinsley said he could also not support the proposal because ‘the annual holiday was held every year’.

He added: “We run this every year and there’s funding set aside for [St Patrick’s Day] events through the Good Relations Fund. I would support the funding going to that and I’ve got no issue with it but I don’t think that we need a working group.”

UUP Cllr Stuart Hughes said: “I find it offensive that anything to do with the Queen’s Jubilee or St. Patrick’s Day would be deemed as ‘them and us’ and trying to divide people on this council when it should be about bringing people together.

UUP Cllr Jenny Palmer also commented, she said: “We all support St Patrick, in fact, a lot of us know that he is a Presbyterian, he’s British and an Apostle of Ulster in some quarters and we’re happy to share him but this has been a frustrating half hour and I’m disgusted with it all.”

Members agreed with an Alliance proposal for council officers to bring back a report looking at how the annual holiday would be celebrated next year.