Causeway Coast & Glens councillors vote against £57k event at Ulster Uni to mark 250th anniversary of US Declaration of Independence
Causeway Coast and Glens Council has rejected plans for a ‘flagship event’ at Ulster University to mark the 250th anniversary of Independence Day.
Members of April’s Leisure and Development Committee were asked to approve a programme of activity to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, or ‘USA250’.
It follows a council meeting in June last year, at which members approved a Notice of Motion to establish a working group to ‘explore opportunities to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence’.
The working group has since engaged with council services, Ulster University (UU) and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), resulting in a ‘multi-strand programme combining cultural celebration, heritage interpretation, economic development, arts programming and food heritage’.
Plans include a family-focused afternoon festival, featuring live music, a food village showcasing local produce alongside American-inspired offerings, and heritage storytelling zones exploring migration, genealogy and Ulster’s role in the American story.
The evening event was set to be a free ticketed event, delivered in partnership with UU and combining ‘academic input, performance and storytelling, including a staged extract from The Unfinished Broadside telling the story of John Dunlap and the printing of the Declaration of Independence’, at a cost of £57,000.
UUP Councillor John Wisener said that while he supported the overall event, he was ‘concerned’ about the £57,000 expenditure: “The 4th of July, obviously with what’s going on in the world at the moment, there’s not a great love for America from certain members of the community.”
Alliance Councillor Peter McCully voiced concern that the programme had ‘snowballed’ and argued there was a ‘degree of uncertainty’ around the evening event.
He proposed that Council approve the event, with the exception of the evening event.
“There seems to be logistical issues, that is obviously far from ideal when we’re just over two months away from the hosting of that event,” he said.
“The biggest concern I would have would be the cost of the event and whether or not this represents value to our ratepayers, particularly because many of the elements included in that evening event are covered by the other strands in the programme.”
Cllr McCully’s proposal was successful, with seven members voting in favour and six against.