DUP Belfast City Council group leader Sarah Bunting has criticised Sinn Fein for challenging a proposed partnership with the BBC connected to the Belfast Stories project, arguing the move risks slowing a flagship cultural scheme.

She said the collaboration should be judged on its merits and potential benefits for the city, creative sectors and ratepayers, rather than through a constitutional lens.

Councillor Bunting said: "Once again, Sinn Fein has allowed its ideological opposition to anything British to get in the way of what is best for Belfast. "Let's be honest about what is really happening here. If this proposal involved RTÉ instead of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Sinn Fein would be rushing to sign the agreement without a second thought. Their objection is not about governance or transparency. It is about the fact that the organisation involved happens to be British.

"Of course, any major project involving public money must be subject to proper scrutiny and transparency. Those issues should always be addressed. But they should not be used as a convenient smokescreen for political ideology.

"Belfast deserves representatives who will judge proposals on their merits and on the benefits they deliver for our city, not on whether they fit a narrow constitutional agenda.

"The Belfast Stories project should be about celebrating our city strengthening our creative industries and delivering value for ratepayers. It should not become another battleground for Sinn Fein's anti-British politics.

"The people of Belfast expect us to get on with delivering projects that create jobs and enhance our city's reputation. They will rightly question why Sinn Fein is prepared to risk delaying a flagship development simply because the BBC is involved."