News

Belfast council approves £4m fund branded DUP-Sinn Féin 'carve-up'

The funding plans were discussed at a council meeting at Belfast City Hall
The funding plans were discussed at a council meeting at Belfast City Hall The funding plans were discussed at a council meeting at Belfast City Hall

A DUP and Sinn Féin-backed reallocation of £4 million of Belfast City Council funds that opponents branded a "political carve-up" has been approved.

The controversial plan, which emerged in October, will see the City Centre Social Outcomes Fund redistributed to nine projects in east and west Belfast.

SDLP and Alliance councillors criticised how the money was being awarded without a public bid process and asked for the decision to be 'called-in'.

Councillors can request a call-in if they feel a decision was not properly reached, or would adversely affect a section of the community. A lawyer is then asked to examine the decision to determine whether it should be reconsidered.

However, after legal advice backed the decision, the funding plan was approved during Thursday night's full council meeting after a bid to refer the decision to a committee failed to gain enough support.

The funding includes £1m for a 'James Connolly Interpretive Centre' in west Belfast, £80,000 for an Orange Hall museum, and £750,000 to develop a 'social economy training hotel' in the Shankill area.

Both the DUP and Sinn Féin have rejected criticism of the funding reallocation, saying it will boost tourism.

Alliance councillor Emmet McDonough-Brown – who had accused the DUP and Sinn Féin of a "political carve-up" – said his party was "deeply disappointed and frustrated" with the decision.

He added: "Alliance has always supported investments in our communities, but we believe that without an application process that is advertised and public, we cannot be confident that money spent will deliver the outcomes that we all want to see.

"We will continue to shine a spotlight on political deals which do not represent the interests of all the ratepayers of the city, and we will continue to stand up for opennesss and transparency within our politics."