Michael Kenwood, Local Democracy Reporter
Yesterday at 23:00
The TUV and People Before Profit have joined forces to oppose a new £4 charge for tours at Belfast City Hall.
The unlikely bedfellows teamed up at the monthly meeting of Belfast City Council on Monday (June 2) after People Before Profit Councillor Michael Collins proposed the council ditch plans for new charges for a tour inside the iconic city centre building, and home of local government in the city.
Both parties have only one councillor each in the 60 seat chamber – PBP’s Councillor Collins, who represents the Collin District Electoral Area, and the TUV’s Councillor Ron McDowell, who represents the Court District Electoral Area.
In a recorded vote, only the PBP and TUV supported Councillor Collin’s proposal – that was two votes in the chamber against 53 votes that were against the proposal, from the combined forces of Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance, the SDLP, the Green Party, the UUP and one Independent.
In May the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee agreed, during a secret meeting away from the public and press, a £4 entrance fee for visitors to the City Hall ground floor exhibition, except for under 18s and community visits organised via elected members. A review is to be undertaken after one year on the new charges.
Councillor Michael Collins said at the full council meeting on Monday: “I am concerned about plans to introduce a £4 charge for the City Hall ground floor exhibition. It is worrying, the way we are continuously looking to raise revenue by hiking incrementally all the prices of services.
“An exhibition that really was free, is now going to be charged. Where does this end? Will we start charging people to access the building itself? The inclusivity and accessibility of the City Hall is a major benefit for this city.
“There are not enough free things you can do, and a civic building shouldn’t be a money raising opportunity. The cost of living is increasing, and people are really struggling to make ends meet.”
He proposed the ground floor exhibition at City Hall remain free for use.
TUV’s Ron McDowell seconded the proposal. He said: “Considering this building is owned by the citizens of Belfast, to charge them for something they already own, I think Councillor Collins has a good point.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie said: “Unfortunately it isn’t free, and the ratepayer is paying for it at the minute. The reality is we have staff to pay, we have to pay for the electric, so there is a cost to this.
“We would like to have everything for free. But we have to charge into the leisure centres, the zoo – we have to charge for a lot of things, because that’s how we pay for it.”
He added: “We have proposed two meetings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee this year to look at efficiency savings, to look at how we as a council can come together and save money.
"We haven’t had one of those meetings yet, not one in six months. We don’t believe the citizens of Belfast should be landed with any additional costs, but where we can save money we will do our best to do it.”
by pickneyboy3000
9 comments
This reads like a satirical article. This country is a literal joke.
Oh yes, £4 a pop for a tour will definitely begin to offset the massive outlays on other matters. Talk about rearranging the deckchairs.
If this is what united them we are so screwed lmao
What a pathetic government we have
When I was a young city haller back in the day, a few times we joined the tour out of shear boredom. Honestly looking back, we were the kind of kids that most needed to see that city hall and the government in general was not so us/them and that we were welcome, despite being from quite underprivileged backgrounds.
It being free gives the impression of “come in, everyone is welcome, doors always open”. Even if it cost 10p I would be against it
Also, our tax money covers the city hall, we shouldn’t be effectively paying twice to visit
Weirdly Ron McDowell from the TUV is actually left-wing economically.
He’s been a leading trade unionist for years and always usually votes for motions which will help workers and against those which will not – but not if they’re Irish.
He’d probably be better off in the PUP if they were still a thing but yeah, I used to cover Council for a few papers until last year and he was pretty solidly economically left-wing, unless of course it involved anything Irish, then it was a big fuck ye to the proposal.
I had a dander through city hall a few weeks ago on my lunch break. The historical exhibitions were fascinating!
I’m 45, and that is literally the first time I can recall seeing political parties in Northern Ireland categorised as “left and right” rather than “nationalist and unionist.”
Simultaneously feeling depressed at the bread & circus our politics has been since the GFA, or slightly hopeful that *maybe* we are finally in a position to focus on more bipartisan issues relating to wealth inequality, job creation, wage stagnation, social services, and NHS access
I mean, I get it, yeah, costs need covering. But is BCC’s hand ever not in the public’s pocket?
If they’re that worried about funding, maybe stop propping up Castlebrooke and the corpse of Tribeca, a ‘*regeneration*’ project where not a single brick’s touched mortar in nearly a decade.
Get to fuck.
Rates are already over a grand annually and BCC can’t even keep a consistent bin service going in my area.
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