UNIONISTS on a Co Antrim council have been accused of being “hypocritical” after no nationalists were appointed to a partnership set up to distribute £2.6 million of European ‘peace’ cash.
SDLP councillor Declan O’Loan hit out after six unionist councillors were appointed to distribute the ‘Peace IV’ cash across the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council district.
The European Peace IV funding, which is designed to help promote peace and reconciliation, is overseen by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB).
Guidance for partnerships issued by the SEUPB states that “it is critical that representation is balanced”.
Controversy erupted after six unionists were appointed to sit on a special partnership set up to help hand out the cash.
It is understood representatives from the community sector and statutory agencies will also sit on the partnership.
Three places went to the DUP with the UUP taking two and the remaining seat being snapped up by the TUV.
Neither the SDLP or Sinn Féin will be represented on the panel.
Mr O’Loan hit out at the make-up of the partnership.
"To accept Peace IV funds and then to cynically appoint only Unionist members to administer them is hypocritical,” he said.
“Peace IV funding is designed to support peace and reconciliation, to improve cross-community relations and further integrate divided communities.
“That cannot be done by bringing only a unionist perspective to decisions on the funding.”
Mr O'Loan said he would be asking the SEUPB “to tell the council to create a politically broad partnership or else lose the funding”.
However DUP group leader in Ballymena Gregg McKeen said the D’Hondt system was used to select members of the partnership.
“When it suits the SDLP and Declan it’s fine, when it doesn’t they want something else,” he said.
Mr McKeen said his party wanted “the best for Mid and East Antrim, unionist or nationalist, whatever background you are from.
“That’s what members of this partnership will be looking for,” he said.
Last night UUP councillor Stephen Nicholl also voiced concern about the make up of the partnership and revealed his party has yet to appoint any representatives to it.
The councillor said there are concerns that if the political representatives appointed to the partnership are unionist then the majority of community appointments will be drawn from within nationalism, which will also create an imbalance
A spokesman for the SEUPB said it has yet to receive a funding application from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and is unable to comment.
The spokesman said guidance has been issued to local councils.
“This guidance states that while SEUPB cannot be prescriptive on partnership composition ‘it is critical that representation is balanced, members have appropriate skills and expertise on peace building and reconciliation, and community interests and needs are represented’,” he said.
