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Sport NI spends £500,000 on lawyers and staff grievance probes

Sport NI headquarters in south Belfast
Sport NI headquarters in south Belfast Sport NI headquarters in south Belfast

EMBATTLED Sport NI has spent almost half a million pounds in the past three years on lawyers and staff grievance investigations.

Almost £170,000 was spent by the public body investigating internal staff complaints and nearly £300,000 on external legal fees.

In the last three years the overall spending has nearly trebled.

It comes amid a catalogue of internal problems at Sport NI, an arms-length body aimed at encouraging participation in sport.

Chief executive Antoinette McKeown has been suspended since March last year following a series of grievances lodged both by and against her.

A raft of board members have resigned since last year, while an internal investigation showed more than a third of staff claimed to have experienced bullying, harassment or humiliation.

And in September Sport NI settled an industrial tribunal case brought by Paul Scott, a safety expert who raised serious concerns about initial plans to redevelop Casement Park.

Sport NI's grievance probe costs have rocketed from about £3,700 in 2013/14 to almost £98,000 in 2015/16.

Spending on legal services also increased over the same period from around £74,000 to nearly £118,000 – a surge of almost 60 per cent.

The UUP's Andy Allen, who uncovered the spending through Stormont assembly questions, described the costs as "staggering".

"I was shocked to learn that the total figure was almost half a million pounds. This is a staggering amount for a government body of its size," the east Belfast assembly member said.

"I know they have had some public difficulties with personnel matters, but the total amount has roughly trebled in recent years.

"Northern Ireland sports have been doing so well in recent years, with the investment paying off. We can't afford to take our eye of the ball, and it is essential that money goes into developing future champions rather than in lawyers' fees."

Ms McKeown has remained in her senior position ever since her suspension, but the organisation currently has an interim chief executive.

She said in August that she was still awaiting a formal explanation from Sport NI for her continued suspension.

Paul Scott last year raised safety concerns about plans for west Belfast's Casement Park stadium project at a Stormont committee.

It later emerged he took a grievance case against Ms McKeown about how his concerns over Casement had been handled. Documents given to MLAs showed his grievance was upheld.

Her union representative at the time said she believed she had acted in "good faith", adding that Sport NI itself had said no action was required.

Sport NI did not respond to requests for a comment.