Unionist should apologise for 'discrimination' remarks - Councillor Orla Black

Nationalist councillors have defended Moyle Council’s Community Infrastructure Fund which has come under fire from Ulster Unionist councillor Willie Graham.

As reported in last week’s Times, Cllr Graham walked out of a Council meeting after a row erupted on the issue.

This week we publish more details from the stormy debate.

Councillor Graham began the debate by saying: “We need to look at it again because it only serves one section of the community more than the other.”

Independent councillor Paudie McShane said the Infrastructure Fund is excellent and it means the Council is helping out groups that are working hard in the voluntary sector.

He said: “This Council has led the way and should be very proud of what it has done. It is certainly not for one section of the community. Quite a considerable amount of people would feel aggrieved at that statement.”

Cllr McShane said the fund provides the catalyst for funding from other sources outside Moyle Council.

Independent councillor Seamus Blaney said the fund is open to any group which wants to apply.

He said groups had to own their own premises and he said unfortunately many groups do not control their own premises.

Cllr Graham said he wanted a list of which groups have benefitted from the fund over the last three years and said other than a few exceptions the funding was for “one section of the community”.

Council officer Louise Hodgson said all groups in the area are informed about the grant scheme.

DUP councillor Robert McIlroy said the Council should greatly appreciate the amount of work voluntary groups in the community are doing and he said the Council should support such groups as much as they can “in our different communities”.

Cllr Graham said a group from Bushmills had previously applied for a grant and was refused.

Cllr McIlroy said that was correct but he said he was talking about the overall report.

Cllr Blaney said the application from Bushmills was refused because it was not “put in right”.

Sinn Fein councillor Oliver McMullan said if there are people in the community who feel aggrieved at not getting funding they should apply and said the more applications the better.

Council Chairperson, Independent Price McConaghy, said criteria has to be met and he said the Council should encourage everybody to apply.

Cllr Orla Black (SDLP) said Cllr Graham should not “raise tension” over the issue but Cllr Graham responded: “People know this is a nationalist fund”.

Cllr Black said the comment was “disgraceful” and said Cllr Graham should apologise because he was accusing the Council of being discriminatory.

Cllr Cara McShane (Sinn Fein) said Cllr Graham should be out working with voluntary groups “instead of trying to get cheap headlines”.

Cllr Graham said she was good at getting headlines herself with things like her ‘Chairperson’s Diary’.

He said he had wanted the issue put on the agenda for the next meeting and said if he was not allowed to get information on which groups were funded he would leave the meeting.

Cllr Paudie McShane said every councillor had seen schemes fail under the Infrastructure Fund and he said the Council should be proud of what they have achieved.

Cllr Blaney said Cllr Graham had once sat on the Community Infrastructure Fund committee and Cllr Graham said he did but that his point of view was over-ruled.

Cllr McMullan said Council staff should not have to carry out work with a level of detail asked for by Cllr Graham and he said if Cllr Graham wanted the information he could go into the Council and ask for it.

After a vote seven councillors including Sinn Fein, SDLP, Seamus Blaney and Paudie McShane voted for the Council not to get an officer to dig out the information and four councillors - Cllr Graham and three DUP councillors - voted for the information to be given out.

At that stage Cllr Graham said he was leaving and turned to his party colleague, Cllr Helen Harding, who did not vote on the matter, he said: “You are some Unionist”.

DUP councillor David McAllister left at the same time without making any comment.

Afterwards, Cllr McIlroy said if there was information wanted by Cllr Graham surely it could be obtained.