Belfast City Council has been branded "tone deaf" after spending almost £1,000 during the cost-of-living crisis on civic receptions to unveil portraits of three Sinn Féin former lord mayors.
A food-and-drink reception in the banqueting hall of Belfast City Hall to reveal portraits of Sinn Féin MP John Finucane and party MLA Daniel Baker cost ratepayers £820.
And a further £156.25 was spent on a separate event in the lord mayor's parlour to unveil former Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey's portrait after she was unable to attend the earlier reception.
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The portraits, which cost up to £40,000, were formally unveiled in October and November following numerous delays some years after their mayoral tenures came to an end.
The events come at a time when councillors have warned rates in Belfast could be increased by 12.5% next year due to council spending pressures.
More than 100 people were invited to the reception which unveiled Mr Finucane and Mr Baker's portraits, although the council has no record of how many attended.
A finger buffet was provided which included chicken goujons, sausage rolls, sandwiches and a selection of breads and dips.
A selection of wines, beers and soft drinks were also served to guests, the council said in a Freedom of Information response to Belfast Live.
The council issued a press release and photographs after the October reception, but no press release or images were issued after Ms Hargey's event in November.
A council spokesman said this was because it was an "informal unveiling" and the portrait "is not yet hung in city hall".
"It is anticipated this will be completed in January and pictures will be released then," he added.
Public spending campaigners hit out at the spending.
Joe Ventre, campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Civic pride is important but taxpayers on tight budgets might feel that an expensive reception is tone deaf, especially when the inevitable council rates hike lands on the doormat in April.
"Many families will be struggling this Christmas and a well-stocked reception to unveil some paintings sends the wrong message."
A council spokesman said: "Each individual lord mayor decides on the nature of the event for their portrait unveiling."
Sinn Féin was approached for comment.
Belfast City Council is the only local authority in Northern Ireland which routinely commissions painted portraits of its civic leaders, spending almost £200,000 on them since 2005.
Public spending campaigners have previously branded such displays an "expensive vanity project", but the council has defended it is a tradition "popular with citizens and tourists alike".
South Belfast MLA Ms Hargey's portrait cost up to £13,000 to mark her time as lord mayor in 2018-19.
Mr Finucane was lord mayor in 2019 until his election in December that year as MP for North Belfast. He was replaced for the remainder of his term by Mr Baker, who has since become an MLA for West Belfast.
Mr Finucane's portrait was estimated to cost £12,000.
Mr Baker's portrait, which cost £14,950, faced criticism from unionists for including an image of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Sinn Féin at the time said it was a "long-standing tradition" to commission lord mayor portraits, adding: "The portraits are historical artefacts on public display in Belfast City Hall and are viewed by thousands of visitors each year, during public tours."
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Do you agree with upholding the tradition of mayoral portraits or are they an expense we can no longer justify? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
