A COMMUNITY hall which does not appear to exist has been offered a £25,000 grant as part of a controversial government scheme.
Randalstown Ulster Scots Cultural Society was named earlier this month as one of the recipients of a controversial 'community halls' grants scheme run by the Department for Communities.
Details published by the department give the address as 'Number 10 Portglenone Road, Randalstown'.
However, a spokeswoman for Royal Mail last night said there is no listing on its “postal address file” for that address.
When the Irish News visited the area this week no sign of the address could also be found.
Other buildings in the area include a Masonic, church and Orange hall.
A nearby Presbyterian hall is not used by the cultural society group.
The Ulster Scots Agency, which funds projects linked to its work, has also said that it “has never provided Randalstown Ulster-Scots Cultural Society with any funding”.
The cultural society is one of 90 organisations across the north to have been offered grants of up to £25,000 to renovate and upgrade community halls.
Applicants must own the hall or hold a long term lease for the hall and be the organisation responsible for operating it.
If the property is held in trust, trustees must consent to the proposed works.
Nationalists criticised DUP communities minister Paul Givan after details of the recipients, which included many loyal order groups, were revealed.
It also emerged that the original £500,000 budget earmarked for the programme has quadrupled to £1.9 million.
Just two GAA clubs, including Erin’s Own GAC in the nearby village of Toome, have been offered cash under the scheme.
When it was launched by Mr Givan alongside DUP leader Arlene Foster at an Orange Hall last October it was unclear if GAA properties would qualify, with criteria stating that funding could not be used for "sporting infrastructure".
Antrim SDLP councillor Roisin Lynch last night said she would seek more information about the Randalstown Ulster Scots application.
“This would certainly seem to warrant an explanation and I will be contacting the Department for Communities for a full and thorough explanation,” she said.
The Department for Communities has said it received around 850 applications for the Community Halls Pilot Programme.
A spokeswoman said: “All Community Halls Capital Programme applications have and will be compliant with best practice guidelines which operate across all of the NICS and which safeguard the allocation of public monies.
“Following initial desk assessment those applications which progressed to letter of offer are being subjected to vigorous verification on issues such as necessary permissions and approvals, ownership, leases and quotations, prior to the issue of a final letter of offer.
“Best practice procedures also require DfC staff to carry out verification visits and all payments are made in compliance within existing robust DfC and NICS standards.”
