Motion To Record Council Meetings Is Defeated

A motion brought forward by the Alliance Party's Castlereagh group, which called for all Council meetings to be recorded, has been defeated for a second time.

The motion was originally tabled by the party in November last year.

If approved, the move would have allowed greater openness and transparency for the residents of Castlereagh.

Speaking after the motion was rejected a second time, Councillor Carole Howard said: "I am bitterly disappointed that yet again Castlereagh Councillors have turned down the opportunity to open the Council further to members of the public.

"Following the defeat last November, we tabled the motion again as we have seen from recent incidents at the Assembly that the only way to get accurate reflections of meetings is to use recordings."

Councillor Michael Long added: "Unionists have claimed this motion has been opposed due to cost, but if this is the case why not look into the matter thoroughly through a feasibility study. Having assessed other Councils across the UK, Alliance understands Castlereagh would not have to spend a fortune implementing this motion, with one Council in England paying a £160 one-off payment to secure the service.

"Alliance believes everyone should be able to access up-to-date relevant information from their local Council. As in previous years the Alliance group will continue to fight for increased openness and transparency in Castlereagh."

(JP/CD)