Members of the public have made complaints about the number of Belfast councillors who fail to turn on their mics during crucial voting at City Hall.
An SDLP councillor raised a point of order at the most recent Belfast City Council committee meeting, stating they had received objections from members of the public about councillors at meetings not announcing on a live mic their decisions during votes, thereby disguising their voting choices intentionally or otherwise.
All public meetings of Belfast City Council are live streamed for viewing, and members of the public can also attend meetings in person. But when elected representatives fail to turn their microphones during votes, the listeners cannot know their decision in non-recorded votes – that is votes not officially recorded for council minutes.
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At a special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee at City Hall on November 1, SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite said: “I have been contacted by a number of individuals over the last while, about members not turning on their microphones whenever they are voting.
“Just from an accessibility point of view, it is something I would like to raise. Members of the public have told me it is easier to follow the proceedings of council and committee meetings if members turn on their microphones when they are voting.”
An officer said he would resend an update on standing orders for the council to elected members, and stated all remotely connected members should have video screens and mics turned on.
The special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee was arranged for councillors to make a final decision on language signage across the length of the new Forth Meadow Greenway.
In the end, a Sinn Féin proposal to follow officer recommendations and have only English and Irish at Springfield Dam was voted for, by a tight margin. This decision will have to go to the full council on Monday (November 4) for ratification.
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However, during a number of votes on the matter, over half of the committee’s 20 councillors did not have their microphone on, so onlooking members of the public could not have heard or known their vote. Sinn Féin were the worst offenders.
Members who failed to turn on their mics during three rounds of voting were:
DUP Alderman Frank McCoubrey
Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie
Sinn Féin Councillor Natasha Brennan
DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting
DUP Councillor Fred Cobain
Sinn Féin Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly
Sinn Féin Councillor Joe Duffy
DUP Councillor Bradley Ferguson
Sinn Féin Councillor Matt Garrett
Alliance Councillor Michael Long
Alliance Councillor Jenna Maghie
None of these elected members were declared absent at the beginning of the meeting.
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