Unionists have banded together to file a formal challenge to Belfast Council’s decision to blitz the Irish language across the entire city.

A “call-in” to the new language policy was readied for delivery to the council’s chief executive on Thursday evening (2nd), the News Letter understands, and will now be checked by lawyers.

That can take several months, but it’s hoped the call-in will bring the policy back for more scrutiny.

It comes as DUP leader Gavin Robinson hit back at the idea opposition to the blitz is rooted in anti-Irish sentiment. Stating anyone who wants to enjoy the language is free to do so, he maintained unionist objections are with it being “imposed on others who have no interest”, plus “squandering” public money on rebranding all council buildings, parks, playgrounds, leisure centres and sports pitches to include it.

placeholder image — Belfast City Hall is one of many major landmarks to get Irish language signs under the new council policy.

Major buildings and some street signage in the heart of the city will also be reworked, while Belfast Council’s current logo will be junked and replaced with one that includes Irish; that, it’s claimed, has staff who live or work in loyalist areas worried about their safety if the Irish-text logo features on their uniforms.

The first phase of the language blitz – taking in the city centre, west Belfast’s Gaeltacht quarter, and landmarks such as Belfast Castle and Belfast Zoo – is to happen over a two-year period, using a £1.9m underspend the council has found in its coffers. Eventual plans will roll it over the whole city, and unionist councillors have fear taxpayers will be left footing the bill after the initial cash pot runs out.

Mr Robinson is adamant even the initial money should be spent on better things, however, yesterday stating: “If there was £1.9m lying around as an underspend, as has been claimed, it should have been returned to the hard-pressed ratepayers of Belfast, rather than squandered on an unnecessary change of [the council’s] corporate identity.”

Arguing the cost would “grow and spread” as the roll-out continues, the East Belfast MP said people want “investment in their communities, not the provision of signage which will do nothing for the citizens of Belfast, will not improve services one bit, and to do it in a way which takes no account of the unionist view in this city”.

He added: “City Hall brought forward a proposal which is wholly disproportionate, which does not look to the ratepayers – what they want, the services and value for money.”

More than twice as many councillors were in favour of blazing the language across Northern Ireland’s capital than were against it, Alliance and the Greens joining nationalists in pushing through the move after a 90-minute debate on Wednesday night.

The policy has proved incredibly controversial, with unionists accusing it of coming from a “narrow sectarian agenda” and being politically motivated, while supporters of the language move laid the same accusations at the feet of unionists.

There wasn’t a clear solution to staff safety fears on Wednesday; a DUP attempt to take council uniforms out of the Irish language policy was blocked, though there were indications that talks with workers and unions would continue.