Tonight the Sinn Féin Mayor of ABC council, Councillor Kevin Savage, exercised his discretion under the Borough’s standing orders to reject a divisive DUP motion that sought to rename the new state-of-the-art multi-million pound leisure centre.

Speaking after the meeting Group Leader Councillor Liam Mackle said:

“The DUP knowingly brought forward an 11th hour, divisive proposal to rename the landmark centre the Centenary Leisure Centre.

“The name had not been brought through the appropriate governance structures of council and sought to make a very important decision without any regard to the council’s overriding obligations to engage, consult and equality assess any such decisions of such nature.

“This was a typical stunt from the DUP in the Craigavon area who are intent on stoking up division and tension.

“Due to open in October and with £40k already spent branding it as the South Lake Leisure Centre this is clear evidence of a DUP party in disarray. Their proposal could have been brought through the South Lake Leisure Centre Board at any time over the past five years. Citizens will see this publicity stunt for what it was.

“For many in our Borough partition is not something to celebrate and given the ratepayer funded the new centre the name must be acceptable to all.

“The Sinn Féin Mayor is determined that his term in office will be about bringing people together. We want ABC Borough to be a place where people want to live and do business, not a place of ridicule. As we try to rebuild our economy in the post COVID-19 era we need to focus all our energies on recovery. Not on some madcap divisive motion from the DUP.”