Shared City Project is scrapped

The new strategy received a broad welcome from all parties

but DUP Alderman Drew Thompson queried the scrapping of the Project under the new Good Relations Strategy 2011-14 after it was revealed the post will not be readvertised when Jeanette Warke retires at the end of March.

The functions of the scheme - designed to tackle alienation and division within the city particularly in interface areas of the Waterside and the Fountain and Bishop Street areas - will be incorporated within the new strategy and an intern recruited as a replacement.

Alderman Thompson applauded the Council’s good relations team for compiling a “very comprehensive document” but raised the issue of the Shared City Project’s retirement.

“Does that mean the Shared City Project is no longer going to happen? Is it going to be stopped?” he asked.

A council officer reassured Alderman Thompson stating the work would be subsumed within the new strategy.

The DUP councillor also raised the discrepancy in the cost of paying for the use of floodlit 3G synthetic pitches in the Waterside and the Cityside.

Alderman Thompson said he was aware of a girls’ hockey team paying £55 per hour for use of the same facilities at St Columb’s Park that in the Bishop’s Field in Creggan cost just £30 per hour.

He stressed it was an issue of equality, urging council to “look at this as a matter of priority as it’s something that could cause a lot of ripples.”

Council Development boss Oonagh McGillion said she would look into the matter and report back to council.

Waterside SDLP councillor Gerard Diver supported Alderman Thompson saying the local authority had a “statutory responsibility” to provide leisure services “without fear or favour.”

The new strategy acknowledges the deep insecurity of Londonderry’s minority Protestant community and commits to tackling the problem

It also accepts that more than half of respondents to a Citi-Scope survey conducted as part of Londonderry’s Regeneration Plan did not find the city a friendly place for Protestants, ethnic communities or gay and lesbian people.

But following an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) on the strategy which was conducted between November 2010 and January 2011 revisions were made to erase any mention of the Shared City Project - for a decade a key plank in the Council’s battle against sectarianism and division - or of a Shared City Officer.

Shared City is to be scrapped and an intern employed each year between 2011 and 2014 - there is a budget of £12k-£12.5k per year - to work on Good Relations and develop experience.

An amendment to the draft strategy announces the: “removal of references to Shared City Project and Shared City Project Officer” and the “inclusion of a graduate level intern post on an annual basis.

The Shared City Project Officer will retire on 31st March 2011. The post is not being readvertised.”

It adds: “Instead, as per year 2 and 3 of draft strategy previously approved, in year 1 of the strategy an annual intern post will be recruited.”

The Shared City Cross-Community Education Programme for the current academic year will be handed over to the North West Regional College (NWRC)

The level of alienation felt by the Protestant community in the city is also reflected in the EQIA responses to a report which highlighted the city name and parading strongly related to Protestant identity here. There were none.

The four organisations which provided a response were Sinn Féin, Tar Abhaile, The Rainbow Project and Disability Action - none of which are specifically charged with responding to the unique concerns of the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist (PUL) constituency in the city.

Good Relations Strategy 2011-14 found that after geography Protestant inclusion was the second most popular reason given by respondents as a barrier to access to council facilities.

The strategy also notes: “Concerns were raised around council venues e.g. Strand Road Offices, Templemore Sports Complex not being accessible to Protestants - some citing experience of direct intimidation.

“Some argued Waterside facilities e.g. Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre were inferior facilities. It was felt that council had an overemphasis on using the Cityside for events and service provision.

“The city name issue and Irish language issues arose - council is perceived as using ‘Derry’ all the time and promoting Irish language too strongly.”

But the draft Good Relations Strategy 2011-14 is committed to tackle community divisions citing as its Vision Statement: “Making a meaningful difference locally to attitudes and actions, policies and places in a society in transition from conflict to lasting peace.”