A DUP councillor stepped aside from a council committee meeting after questions were raised about his alleged links to a community group involved in the purchase of a former PSNI base.
At a meeting of Derry City and Strabane Council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee on Wednesday evening questions were raised over any links its chair Keith Kerrigan may have to the Castlederg and District Cultural Association.
Last week the Northern Ireland Policing Board voted to allow the Association to buy the former police station site in Castlederg, Co Tyrone. It was claimed at the council committee meeting that the successful Association has links to the Orange Order.
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On Wednesday evening, the vice-chair of the committee, Sinn Féin councillor Ruairi McHugh, claimed that Cllr Kerrigan had failed to declare an interest at previous council meetings on the subject.
Cllr McHugh referenced media reports that the Orange Order was ‘bankrolling’ the community group.
He told the meeting: “As an elected representative in Castlederg and a resident of Castlederg, I have never heard tell of this community group and any person I spoke to has never heard of this group.
“I took it upon myself to contact Development Trusts Northern Ireland to see what the intentions of the group were for the land. I asked them different questions but they were able to confirm that the community group was Castlederg and District Cultural Association.
“When I asked them if this group had any history of developing land, he said he wasn’t aware of any. I also asked him was he aware of the allegations about who potentially were bankrolling, and he said he wasn’t aware of that and that essentially wasn’t a concern for them, which raises further queries in my mind.
“You’ll be aware, Chair, I raised this at full council previously, and it’s been raised here today again. Yet when I asked the representative of the Development Trust Northern Ireland who was the contact for the said community group, he said the person I had been dealing with was none other than yourself, Chair, Councillor Kerrigan.
“Chair that begs the question, why when I raised it at full council had you not declared an interest in it, when you spoke to it. It’s on the agenda today, but yet and all you’ve declared no interest in it. That to me raises serious concerns.
“I think we should be contacting them (the Policing Board), expressing our grave concerns over what I have raised today.”
McHugh’s comments led to the DUP councillor calling a short recess, where he discussed with council officers and after which said: "In light of this, I am declaring a non pecuniary interest and I am going to ask Cllr McHugh to take the chair on this item."
Kerrigan then proceeded to step out of the chamber for the discussion around a proposal to contact the Policing Board to note the council's concerns over the sale of the station. The proposal was passed and Kerrigan later returned to the meeting.
UUP councillor Derek Hussey said he was a member of the Orange Order in Castlederg and that he was not aware of its alleged involvement in the purchase of the former PSNI station.
“I think we should let the Policing Board determine how the item is taken forward, whether it’s an unknown community organisation, or even if it was the Orange Order as a community organisation it’s perfectly entitled to undertake community activities.”
Concerns had been raised by local representatives at previous council meetings about the sale of the former PSNI station to the previously unknown organisation, with Apex Housing Association believed to have submitted a proposal to build social housing on the site.
Both Keith Kerrigan and the DUP have been contacted for a response to this story but at the time of publication one had not been received.
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