DUP blocks Irish language signs at Olympia Leisure Centre in Belfast City Council legal appeal

An expected vote in Belfast City Council tonight about the installation of Irish language signs at Olympia Leisure Centre was blocked by the DUP.

The council had been due to make a final decision on the matter tonight, but DUP councillor Bradley Ferguson said on Monday that the party would try to ‘call-in’ the decision before the meeting.

As the News Letter previously reported, the council’s strategic policy and resources committee voted in favour of making the signs at the Olympia bilingual, against the DUP’s objections.

But that vote on September 20 needed to be confirmed by a meeting of the full council, and this was due to take place last night.

Early in the meeting tonight it was announced the matter had indeed been the subject of a ‘call-in’ late on Monday afternoon, and that it would therefore not be discussed as planned.

DUP councillor Ruth Brooks told the News Letter tonight that because it was now the subject of a call-in, it cannot be discussed in council while officials seek a legal opinion on the matter.

Mr Ferguson had said on Monday that the call-in would take the matter off the agenda for last night’s meeting while external lawyers consider if the legal challenge has merit.

“It’s on the basis that it’s being forced upon people in a community which do not wish to see it,” he said.

“And it’s also taking Irish and putting it level with English and above other minority languages.

“More people speak Polish as speak Irish, and as many speak Romanian as speak Irish.”

The call-in is “probably the final hurdle” in the way of the bilingual signs, he said.