Causeway Coast and Glens Council to debate holding all Freedom of Borough events at same time
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council are to debate whether holding all Freedom of the Borough ceremonies at once will “dilute its status”.
At September’s Commemoration and Celebration sub committee, members were presented with an officers’ report, requesting that they consider consider “establishing some criteria which to determine if a Freedom of the Borough (FOB) is merited”.
Director of Corporate Services, Moira Quinn, noted a successful motion from 2019, proposing that a single FOB ceremony is held in the latter part of Year 4 of the council term, bestowing up to four awards.
Each Freedom of the Borough event costs in the region of £8,000, and a £20,000 budget was set aside for 2025/26 for civic functions, which covers FOB ceremonies.
She said that, as the local government elections are due to be held in 2027 and a period of sensitivity should be adhered to on the lead-up to the elections, FOB events should be held in the spring and/or autumn of 2026.
Ms Quinn noted that, despite the motion’s stipulations, a Freedom of the Borough event was held for the borough’s health and social care workers last year to recognise their work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She also highlighted two FOB requests by members, for Coleraine rower and Olympic gold medal winner, Hannah Scott, and for The Northern Ireland Prison Service.
DUP alderman and committee chair, Michelle Knight-McQuillan, said: “It’s all well and good having a recommendation that we just have these things in the last year, but if something happens that merits a [FOB] in the first year, it’s an awful long wait to the last year. I can’t see the sense in that.”
Ms Quinn agreed and added: “The other thing is, I don’t know where we can facilitate four FOB’s in relation to families [and] guests.
“They could be four very different individuals or organisations, and it maybe dilutes the prestige and the status associated with it.”
Ald Knight-McQuillan said she worried that there could be “two worthy recipients on the same day” leading to a clash or conflict of interest.
“I think [there] definitely needs some rethinking around that process and even the budget; catering costs and everything has increased dramatically and when that £8,000 was set, we probably got a lot for £8,000.
“The last FOB was for the NHS staff, there were a lot of people, that was a big one, it just needs a bit more thought on how we deliver it.
“The whole point is to uplift someone who has given a great service to either our community or has done good work,” she said.
Ms Quinn said the 2019 motion could be amended or rescinded and Alderman Knight-McQuillan successfully proposed deferring the report until October’s committee meeting, to allow parties to discuss it.
Alliance Councillor Peter McCully supported the motion and concluded: “I think it merits further discussion, whether or not we want to continue down this path or if we want to take this back to the drawing board.”