Bilingual street signs threshold reduced to 15% of residents

Derry City and Strabane District Council is to significantly reduce the threshold of support needed for the erection of bilingual street signs from 66% to 15%.
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Jan 2021, 10:48 BST
Bilingual street sign at O' Nuallian Crescent. DER2104GS – 048Bilingual street sign at O' Nuallian Crescent. DER2104GS – 048
Bilingual street sign at O' Nuallian Crescent. DER2104GS – 048

The motion was brought by Sinn Féin Councillor Michael Cooper. The new proposal will require one resident or their local Councillor to request a bilingual street sign and if this was to gain the support of 15% of residents then this would be suffice to go forward for approval by Council. At present, at least 66% must be in favour for it to erected.

A ‘backwards’ step for cross-community relations is how Unionist Councillors described the decision. DUP Alderman Ramsey brought an amendment which said: “In the interest of good relations, equality and democracy, this Council asks the Environment and Regeneration committee to form a working group to consider this further and attempt to achieve cross-community support.”

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Sinn Féin Colr. Christopher Jackson responded to the amendment: “In respect to the good relations the DUP are trying to give us a lecture on, we need to acknowledge there are divisive flags and emblems that are put around our Council district that the DUP conveniently ignore.”

Bilingual street sign at The Branch. DER2104GS – 047Bilingual street sign at The Branch. DER2104GS – 047
Bilingual street sign at The Branch. DER2104GS – 047

DUP Ald. Maurice Devenney claimed the Motion was ‘a stance’. He said: “I think what we had it at was a very fair mechanism. I get many comments from people who live in republican areas who don’t want Irish signage either.

“This city was built on good relations and when you look back at the comments of the late Mr McGuinness who would often say ‘we led from the front here’, I can tell you this is going backwards.”

Ald. Ramsey’s amendment fell 29 votes against to nine for.

Returning to the debate on the original motion, DUP Ald. Graham Warke said: “If we are talking about language here, I do find it disrespectful that members of this Council can’t use the proper name of the city – Londonderry, and call the country by its proper name – Northern Ireland.”

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Bilingual street sign at The Meadows . DER2104GS – 045Bilingual street sign at The Meadows . DER2104GS – 045
Bilingual street sign at The Meadows . DER2104GS – 045

Summing up. Colr. Cooper said: “Language isn’t a threat to anybody. It’s not just about the Irish language, it’s about all our ethnic communities, if they want to avail of the opportunity to reflect their identity and have their language on a street name. It’s not about removing the English language from street signs, its about being inclusive and adding to it. That’s not a threat to anybody, it should be celebrated.”

Colr Cooper’s motion passed, 29 votes for, 9 against.

By Gillian Anderson

Local Democracy Reporter

Related topics:Strabane District CouncilDerry CitySinn Fein