No endorsement for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee funding report in Derry & Strabane

The report tabled at Derry & Strabane Council’s Governance & Strategic Planning Committee noted that ‘more than £22m of National Lottery funding was made available to help communities come together to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. This funding stream closed for applications in December 2021’. It was noted that ‘Council funding streams are also currently closed/unavailable’.

The report advised that contact had been made with the Funding Manager for the Community Fund, who has advised that any groups wishing to apply for funding for Jubilee projects are more than welcome to apply via their Awards for All programme.

DUP Alderman Hilary McClintock said: “I think the report is an exercise in signposting groups to other funders. It does nothing to help the groups in our council area.  So often we can pull a little bit of  money out of the hat to offer small grant aid and I think many of the small groups we are talking to would have loved the opportunity to have applied for a small amount of money to organise an event around that weekend at the beginning of June.

“Some councils have been more proactive than others and have been able to offer to people. We have always had pride in ourselves as being a progressive council so it is a little bit disappointing that we are not able to offer anything directly to those groups. We appreciate the occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is not something everyone wants to celebrate but yet a sizable number of our constituents do so from all walks of life and from all sections of the community.”

Independent Councillor Gary Donnelly said: “As a republican I’m against all monarchies but as an Irish republican I’m particularly against the British monarchy.”

He added: “I don’t think any self respecting socialist or republican could endorse this report.”

SDLP Councillor Rory Farrell said: “It’s not in my nature to attend a Queen’s jubilee but thousands of people across this city and district would be keen to do that.

“I’m not a fan of the monarchy, I’m not a royalist but I’m not going to vote to prevent somebody who wants to attend the Queen’s jubilee from attending it.”

No one proposed or seconded an endorsement so it was treated as noted.

By Gillian Anderson

Local Democracy Reporter