A Newry based community group has slammed Newry,Mourne and Down District Councillors and Sinn Fein for a lack of support around funding for a city centre park in Newry City.
Newry 2020 statement on the events of last week:
“Last Monday, Alliance attempted to get the council to apply for Peace Plus Funding to complete the Newry City Park project. This was the latest in a series of attempts to obtain the money necessary to deliver the “world class park” that Newry people have been promised.
“Sadly, once again, the proposal was blocked, this time by the Sinn Fein Chair of the Council, Valerie Harte.
“In the rush to distract from this disgraceful decision, two false and misleading statements were put out by Sinn Fein on Facebook immediately after the meeting. Firstly, they claimed that they had obtained additional funding from Stormont, when in fact it was the same money that was announced almost two years ago. Secondly, they repeated a claim by Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism Director Conor Mallon that the park was not eligible for Peace Funding due to the spending deadlines being 2027.
“We contacted SEUPB about this issue, and we were advised that the spending deadline is actually December 2029 – two years after Sinn Fein claimed. When we contacted Sinn Fein, we were told that their councillors were misled on both matters by council management.
“As far as we are aware, Sinn Fein has still not publicly acknowledged either of their misleading statements.
“This is clearly an extremely serious matter. There have been numerous well-documented attempts by senior council staff to mislead councillors and the public on the park and other major projects over the years. Every time it happens, the matter is brushed under the carpet by our supposed representatives. And now political parties are allowing themselves to be used to spread misleading information on public forums, apparently without any accountability.
“Enough is enough.
“Newry 2020 demands that our elected councillors:
1. Stop enabling council management to undermine the democratic will of the people of Newry.
2. Prioritise public health and regain public trust.
3. Agree to fund the ‘world class park” that they have been promising for years.
4. Apologise for and retract misleading statements.
5. Hold council officers to account for misleading the public and councillors”
ENDS
CLANRYE NEWS 