A UNIONIST councillor has claimed a controversial bonfire licensing scheme in Mid Ulster is unlikely to be introduced before this year’s Twelfth.
Mid-Ulster District Council voted last month to introduce a bonfire licensing scheme in the district.
It is believed to be the first time a council in the north has moved to regulate bonfires through such a scheme.
Last week a leading lawyer said a unionist challenge to the decision “does not have merit”.
Unionists are opposed to the scheme while nationalists voted in favour of it.
Last night the Ulster Unionist group leader at Mid Ulster District Council Trevor Wilson said it is unlikely that the new bonfire policy will be in place before July.
“It is my belief that the council will have to undertake a consultation period and bearing in mind that the Twelfth celebrations are ten weeks away, it would appear that the council will be unable to implement a bonfire policy for this July,” he said.
“I now hope that a common sense approach to bonfires is adopted by the council.”
