Sinn Fein accepts legal challenge to Antrim and Newtownabbey Council over language policy should not have been disclosed

Group party leader Glengormley Cllr Michael Goodman and Airport Cllr Annemarie Logue were considered to have breached confidentiality regarding a legal challenge over then council policy on dual language street signs and referred to the Local Government Commissioner for Standards.

At a meeting of the borough council on Monday evening, on behalf of himself and Cllr Logue, Cllr Goodman acknowledged that information tweeted regarding a legal challenge over dual language street sign policy was confidential and should not have been disclosed.

“We accept we may have breached the Code of Conduct for councillors which states councillors must not disclose confidential information which should be regarded as being of a confidential nature,” he stated.

He proceeded to give an undertaking to not disclosing information given in confidence in the future. The Code of Conduct for councillors sets out the principles and rules of conduct which they must observe.

A spokesperson for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said: “The matter relates to a breach of confidentiality in relation to the judicial review case regarding the council’s policy on street signs in English only. In doing so, the councillors may have breached the Code of Conduct for councillors. This occurred in August 2018.”

Secondary Nameplates

The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 gives councils the power to erect dual language street signs or secondary nameplates in a language other than English.

The issue first arose in Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough in February 2018 when the council received a request from Abbeyville Residents’ Association for five Irish language street signs which was turned down after councillors voted in favour of a policy retaining street signs in English only.

However, in September 2018, the council was forced to do a U-turn after being challenged in the High Court by a resident who sought a judicial review over a “deeply held concern that the policy adopted by the borough council was unlawful”.

Separately, on Monday evening, it was agreed at a meeting of the council the first Irish language street signs in the borough could be erected alongside English language street signs at Bawnmore Grove, Bawnmore Place and Newton Gardens in Newtownabbey.

The council’s current Dual Language Street Sign Policy states that an application for dual language street signs must be supported by a petition representing at least one-third of residents and must have the backing of the local authority before it can proceed to the next stage of canvassing street residents by post to seek their views on the request to erect a street sign in a second specified language.

Two-thirds or more of all those canvassed must indicate they are in favour of the erection of a second language street sign before the application can be brought before the council for a decision.

If a decision is approved by the authority to erect a street sign in a second language, a translation will have to be carried out by an independent body.

According to the 2021 census, 6.52 per cent of Antrim and Newtownabbey residents have some knowledge of Irish; 2.9 per cent can speak, read, write and understand Irish and 1,164 residents can speak Irish.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter