The Alliance Party and SDLP have remained silent on a local council’s decision to keep secret the identity of councillors who ‘called in’ a policy on flying the Union flag at war memorials.

Ards and North Down (A&ND) borough council have refused repeated requests for the details of a call-in motion submitted by anonymous councillors to be released.

The motion is a way of blocking or forcing a new vote on council decisions which might “disproportionately affect adversely any section of the inhabitants of the district”. Council chief executives are then required to take legal advice on the matter.

The issue was brought to light by the loyalist Jamie Bryson who submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the local authority, which was rejected.

placeholder image — Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson has been seeking answers from Ards and North Down borough council about which councillors requested a flags policy be 'called-in' - but the council won't release that information arguing the councillors had an expectation that the democratic procedure would be conducted in 'confidence'. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

A&ND council have refused to release the now secret request to its chief executive – claiming the councillors “retain individual data rights” which aren’t “waived by their position as elected members”.

If the precedent set by the council became commonplace, it could have profound implications for how democratic decisions are taken in councils – as A&ND is arguing that its members have an expectation of confidentiality when moving such motions.

The News Letter asked the Alliance Party and the SDLP on Monday if they agree with the council’s position, if they believe it is democratic – and whether their councillors will give the council their permission to make this information – which is undoubtedly in the public interest in a democracy – public. Neither party has responded, despite both having campaigned for greater transparency in council decision making across Northern Ireland.

Mr Bryson told the News Letter it is a fundamental principle of democracy that citizens affected by the decisions of elected representatives can know the reasons for those decisions.

“We now have a situation whereby a minority of councillors have overturned the democratic decision taken by a clear majority to fly the Union flag from War Memorials, but the citizens of the Borough are not entitled to know which councillors exercised this power, and more importantly the reasoning and rationale given for their decision to use this ‘call in’ power is also to be kept secret”.