By Sammie Young-
A council’s £250,000 budget to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee has been described as “ludicrous” amount of money for “massaging unionist insecurities about their identity”, Sinn Fein has said.
Alliance condemned the figure as “excessive and obscene” and said it had been “pulled from thin air”.
In January, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s community and leisure services committee agreed to hire an external events company to help deliver activities to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, with a budget of £250,000 set aside to celebrate the national event.
However, on Monday, Alliance councillor, Eoin Tennyson, (pictured)called the figure into question, as he proposed a budget of £50-60,000 to run a smaller scale celebration, which was seconded by party colleague, Councillor Peter Lavery.
“The platinum jubilee will be a momentous occasion for Her Majesty the Queen and indeed many people in this borough,” said Mr Tennyson. “That is why Alliance supported the notice of motion brought by the DUP in July for Council to develop a programme of events. It is an important part of our cultural diversity and it is right that we coordinate a programme so that those who wish to celebrate the jubilee within our community can do so.
“However, Alliance will not be able to support the current proposed budget and programme. That is for a number of reasons but primarily because the budgeting process for the programme has been flawed from the outset.
“The figure of £250,000 was pulled from thin air by councillors in a working group. There was no thought-out budgeting process and no consideration of value for money for ratepayers.”
The preposterous figure has been classed as a waste of public money by a council that cannot claim to basking in riches, but hoped to present a lavish display of funds in what some have branded a ploy to pocket some of the funds under the pretext of the event.
The plans have attracted plenty of criticism by those who believe more could be done with such huge funds than to spend them on celebrations when there are many families in need of basic amenities in the borough.