Ards and North Down Council has voted to increase the flying of the Union Flag in public spaces in the borough.
At the monthly meeting of the full council, unionist representatives backed a TUV amendment to flag policy and agreed to fly the flag permanently at all 13 war memorials in the borough, and at the council buildings at Church Street, Newtownards.
The vote was held behind closed doors, away from the public. The Alliance Party, and the borough’s sole nationalist representative, SDLP Councillor Joe Boyle, voted against the TUV proposal.
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The most recent system at Ards and North Down, voted in by the council only two years ago, had the union flag flown permanently at seven designated sites around the borough. The flag is flown for 15 days at Church Street.
Last September the DUP held up a TUV proposal to fly the union flag every day on all public buildings and war memorials in Ards and North Down Borough, for a report on the costs and “the potential risk associated with a full Equality Impact Assessment.”
After the recent decision the council in a press release said: “This decision is subject to the council’s “call in” process and to an Equality Impact Assessment. It will not be acted upon until that assessment is concluded and the report is considered in full by the council.
“The EQIA will take around six months to complete. It includes a 12 week consultation to assess the views of those who may be affected by this policy decision.”
SDLP Councillor Joe Boyle said after the intial TUV proposal last year that unionists in Ards and North Down were “trying to outdo each other” with policies on flying the union flag.
After the full council decision he said: “Nothing has been decided, because we are currently on a journey. It could be six months before we get anything back - first of all you have the quality impact assessment. And it depends on the contents of that, the opinions of the public within it.
“There is a questionnaire that will go out, encompassing everything that you would expect, with an opportunity for all and sundry to respond, and obviously that includes staff as well.
“The final views of that will have to be pummelled together, and a final report will come back to the council, probably with some legal opinion attached to it. That is when the discussion will happen.”
He added: “What I was opposed to was this going anywhere at this stage - I was quite happy with the flags policy in place in the council, and that was couched in having a settled and respecting borough.
“I could have lived with the war memorial part of the motion, because I understand people’s affinity and sincerity towards the war memorials, and what they really mean to people. I could live with that alright. But I was a bit disappointed that it was latched onto the civic building.”
He added: “I opposed this on the basis that I didn’t think it was worthy or timely, or actually necessary to bring in this motion to a council that is settling in nicely. I think it was a tester for unionists and unionist parties.”
He said: “I do have concerns with the flag flying at our civic building, a building that is meant to be open and welcoming and neutral for all those visiting and working within.”
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