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Charter NI director to head up independent bonfire panel

Last year there was a reduction in the number of groups signed up to the Belfast city council bonfire scheme.
Last year there was a reduction in the number of groups signed up to the Belfast city council bonfire scheme. Last year there was a reduction in the number of groups signed up to the Belfast city council bonfire scheme.

A director of controversial community organisation Charter NI has been appointed as the independent adjudicator to Belfast's city council's revamped bonfire management scheme.

Rev Bill Shaw, of the 147 Trust community organisation in north Belfast, is to oversee the Bonfire and Cultural Expression Programme adjudication panel, funded by the council.

In March the council's Good Relations Committee recommended a panel, comprised of both elected and external members to review the involvement of groups signed up to the programme.

Rev Shaw who is also a director of the UDA linked Charter NI has now been appointed to head up the panel, which will adjudicate an appeals process if bonfire groups dispute breaching protocols.

Charter NI hit the headlines last year when Arlene Foster was pictured beside alleged UDA commander Dee Stitt, who is the Chief Executive of the east Belfast community organisation, when the group was awarded £1.7m from the Social Investment Fund.

The north Down loyalist refused to step down from his £35,000 a year post despite giving an interview to The Guardian online claiming the flute band he was involved in were "homeland security".

A statement was released by the board in November last year said it would continue to "support our chief executive" and that it was "addressing the matter internally".

Belfast city council has been running a bonfire management scheme since 2005.

The scheme was established to reduce tyres being burnt on the fires as well as anti social behaviour and offensive emblems and effigies. Grants are given to bonfire builders for family fun days and events connected to bonfires.

While originally deemed a success, more recently the scheme has been dogged with problems.

In previous years racist and sectarian symbols have been placed on fires which have signed up to the scheme with no financial penalties in place for those who breach the protocol.

Last May, South Belfast ACT, a community group that has former UVF prisoners as members, announced that they will no longer be adhering to the council's scheme.

This resulted in a reduction in the number of bonfires availing of the scheme from 52, in 2015 to 39 last year with just 22 of those in relation to loyalist bonfires. An additional ten groups applied for funding for environmentally friendly beacons and seven republican groups applied for grants.

A spokesman for Belfast city council said "At this moment, we cannot say how many groups will be taking part this year, as the report has not yet gone through the committee process".

The Irish News contacted Rev Shaw for a comment, however, he was not available. He told the BBC Talkback programme that his new post was "an important role" and that the scheme was "a crucial aspect of moving forward".