The councils group leader for Sinn Fein, Cara McShane, has announced the party won’t be attending a special council meeting scheduled for this evening, calling it a ‘sham meeting’.
The meeting is a result of a motion brought around by the DUP, over comments made by mayor Cllr Bateson on social media about former hunger striker Thomas McElwee.
The motion is of ‘no confidence’ in Cllr Bateson as Mayor.
Cllr McShane said;
“We will not be attending this sham meeting.
“Sean Bateson is the Mayor as a result of Sinn Féin’s electoral mandate and he will continue to be the Mayor.
“Some Unionists are still struggling to come to terms with the growth of Sinn Féin and the pursuit of equality but the days of Nationalists and Sinn Féin voters being treated as second-class citizens are over.
“This meeting is pointless and it is a waste of money.
“Sinn Féin’s focus right now is on dealing with the serious financial and service delivery problems within the Causeway Coast and Glens Council caused by the austerity budgets forced through the last five years by Unionist councillors.
“This is a crisis which could have a real impact on all the ratepayers of the council.
“This needs to be the focus for all councillors, rather than being distracted with this cheap electioneering stunt.”
