A transparency move to audio record council project meetings for the first time has been withdrawn amid claims of “conspiracy syndrome” around a £30m tourism spend.
The Alliance proposal was made at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council this week in the wake of the failed Mournes Gondola project.
However, the strategy, policy and resources committee has agreed for the audio request to be revisited as the council attempts to draw down the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) funding.
Mournes Alliance councillor Jill Truesdale said: “To be honest the very words ‘programme board’ give me PTSD rumbles, we cannot operate under the previous terms and references as before.
“Last time we went through this process, a councillor suggested twice that the programme/ project board be recorded, as he was frustrated by the ‘he said she said’ scenarios.
“Minutes were not arriving on time, documents not being fed through fast enough.
“He did not make it as a proposal, but I would now like to make it a proposal for audio recordings to be made.
“It needs to be very clear, more open and transparent with accountability shown.”
The City Deal is a pot of £1bn UK and NI government funds to be invested across a number of major projects in nearby areas.
The council failed to deliver the £44m Mournes Gateway gondola last year after landowners, the National Trust pulled out (May 2025) on environmental concerns.
Following the collapse of the Mournes plan, the local authority held emergency meetings with stakeholders to develop a new project to secure £29.2m from the BRCD.
A new concept plan aims to connect Kilbroney Forest Park in Rostrevor with Slieve Gullion Forest Park in south Armagh and Delamont Country Park on the outskirts of Killyleagh.
Downpatrick Sinn Fein councillor Oonagh Hanlon said: “I’m not aware of why programme boards are not recorded at this time.
“Are we now setting a precedent that we are going to start recording every single meeting in the council?
“I don’t think we can set aside one from all the others.”
Mournes DUP councillor Henry Reilly added: “I am just a bit concerned that the Alliance party seems to want to create this conspiracy syndrome within the council in the local media, that there is something going on, that the council is trying to hoodwink the public.
“Because we are not, we are trying our best and all the parties here are trying our best for this district.
“But Alliance is continually pumping out this conspiracy that there is some sort of underhanded project going on, and that’s not true.
“I’m at a loss as to what Alliance thinks they can achieve by that.”
An outline business case to develop 100 miles of Unesco forest parks and coastline will be presented to the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) later this year, according to a council report.
A council officer said: “There would be significant budget and risk information as well as financially sensitive information discussed at programme boards, but any major decisions would come back to this committee and full council.”
Community engagement is expected to run at the same time as the creation of an outline business case this autumn.
Crotlieve SDLP councillor Declan McAteer added: “Along with the public, we want to see this money being spent properly and I think there has been undue criticism of the council.
“Everybody knows when you go out to spend public money you just can’t go out willy-nilly and sort it all out in three weeks to deliver a project.
“There is public scrutiny and rightly so.”
Alliance agreed to withdraw the proposal on the understanding audio recording would be considered at the first meeting of the new project board.
