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21/09/2006
DUP councillors pay legal costs
Nine Democratic Unionist Party councillors in Coleraine have agreed to collectively pay a £18,000 legal bill arising from legal action taken against them by a Sinn Fein councillor.
The DUP members have each agreed to pay £2,000 after Sinn Fein's Billy Leonard was excluded from the council's Christmas party last year.
Commenting on his success, Mr Leonard said: "Legally, financially, and morally, it has been shown to the public that the DUP mayor acted wrongly."
Mr Leonard said the decision was contrary to equality legislation and added that the win is more important than the personal loss to the DUP councillors.
He said: "If they had not been so politically and crassly stupid about this issue, it would not have happened at all."
DUP councillor Adrian McQuillan was first to agree they should foot the bill, rather than rate payers.
He said: "I know £2,000 would have bought a lot of cocktails sausages, but I stand by our decision that we were right not to invite Billy Leonard."
(EF/KMcA)
The DUP members have each agreed to pay £2,000 after Sinn Fein's Billy Leonard was excluded from the council's Christmas party last year.
Commenting on his success, Mr Leonard said: "Legally, financially, and morally, it has been shown to the public that the DUP mayor acted wrongly."
Mr Leonard said the decision was contrary to equality legislation and added that the win is more important than the personal loss to the DUP councillors.
He said: "If they had not been so politically and crassly stupid about this issue, it would not have happened at all."
DUP councillor Adrian McQuillan was first to agree they should foot the bill, rather than rate payers.
He said: "I know £2,000 would have bought a lot of cocktails sausages, but I stand by our decision that we were right not to invite Billy Leonard."
(EF/KMcA)
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