Derry-Strabane councillors condemn Gordon Lyons meeting with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC)

It followed news Gordon Lyons had met with the group around economic and social deprivation among unionist communities.

At a Health and Community Committee meeting on Thursday, October 10, People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin proposed that council writes to the Minister to 'convey our frustration at his decision to meet with the unrepresentative LCC'.

The proposal noted that Mr Lyons had refused meetings with the council in regards to cuts to the Rates Support Grant, the lack of an anti-poverty strategy, or the ongoing housing crisis.

“I've talked to a number of organisations and they've all been turned down,” Councillor Harkin noted. "There have been anti -poverty organisations, the Women's Policy Group, and Hear NI asking for a meeting to talk about social inclusion policies and these are all being turned down, refused, and ignored.”

“It’s shocking that he would choose to meet with the LCC, who are unrepresentative and have no particular expertise in the issues he claims he was meeting them for.

“I think it is unacceptable and a waste of his time, but the frustrating thing is that there are organisations who are desperate for meetings, who have actually done a tremendous amount of work, and he is just ignoring them.”

Sinn Féin councillor Sandra Duffy said her party was shocked and surprised at the news.

She added: “It's surprising that the Minister found time to meet with them when there’s an ever-growing list of organisations and legitimate lobby groups who he has actively refused to meet.

“We need the anti-poverty strategy published and we need the support grant, and at this point the Minister is very selective in what he is doing.”

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney said the Minister had 'ignored call after call from this council'.

“I think it's about time that he spoke to [councillors] elected to represent people," he said.

DUP Alderman Niree McMorris opposed councillor Harkin's proposal and said her party engaged with people across all of Northern Ireland, 'including those within the loyalist circles'.

“We will continue to emphasise the importance of democratic politics as an absolute opposition to all forms of violence,” Alderman McMorris said.