DOWN District Councillor Cadogan Enright voiced alarm at the sudden policy change by the SDLP councillors in Down District Council at last weeks council meeting at the Council offices on the Strangford Road. The SDLP out-voted the other parties on the Down District Council and rejected the need to have a separate Sustainable Development Committee in Down District Council – which had previously been SDLP Policy.
Cllr Enright said, “The Green Party has been happy in the past, to support the SDLP in creating a sustainable development committee on the council covering the important aspects of council policy such as sustainable development of tourism, energy infrastructure development, improvement of biodiversity and how this can benefit the local economy and our commitments under Local Agenda 21 arising under the Rio Convention in 1992.”
Cadogan Enright said, “This sudden policy change was also rightly opposed by representatives of the DUP and Sinn Fein and although UUP Councillors were not present, I am aware that some UUP Councillors would also oppose this development.”
Cllr Enright said, “The lame excuse given was that the senior management in the council (SMT) would be to busy with the reorganisation of local government to resource a Sustainable Development Committee in the Down District area.”
“I will be calling on all Councillors to review the decision not to have a separate Sustainable Development Committee in our run-up to the merger with Newry and Mourne Council, as this will delay Down District Council in seriously addressing the vital interests of people in this district and allow Down District to play its part in the global effort to pass this piece of our planet on to our children in a sustainable manner. If we wait now it will be at the earliest 2011 before a sustainable development committee is set up.” concluded Cllr Enright.
Press Cuttings: Enright will seek united opposition to overturn SDLP policy change