The TUV have failed to block Ards and North Down receiving a NI Protocol consumer protection grant worth nearly £50,000 to the borough.
At the recent full meeting of Ards and North Down Council (January 26th), the party’s only elected representative failed to overturn a committee decision to accept funding allocated from the UK government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards, to protect locals from unsafe goods in the borough.
The OPSS developed an additional package for local councils in Northern Ireland over the past two years, to coordinate market surveillance post Brexit. The money from the national regulator covers front line officers, training, funding to enable testing for products manufactured or imported by Northern Ireland business, and provision for screen testing equipment.
TUV Councillor Stephen Cooper told the full council: “At committee the head of Environmental Health said it had bridged a gap since leaving the EU, and it also fulfilled the requirements to comply with any changes in the UK, in order to comply with the Northern Ireland Protocol, the details of which are uncertain at this stage.
“That in itself raises a red flag with myself. I am vehemently opposed to the Northern Ireland Protocol, I don’t agree any unionist can be supportive of this as it is another tentacle of the said protocol.”
At the council’s Community and Wellbeing committee earlier this month, it was confirmed by officers the money would be used to continue to employ an officer who had been in place already to step up surveillance of goods coming into Northern Ireland, due to it no longer having access to intelligence from the EU’s surveillance system.
In a committee vote to carry the council recommendation to avail of the funding, nine voted for, including the DUP and UUP, four voted against, and two abstained.
At the full council meeting this week Councillor Cooper again proposed the council did not sign the service level agreement to avail of the funds. Since his proposal was not forwarded as an amendment at least 24 hours before the council meeting, the suggestion was not deemed competent and was halted without a vote.
