Brandywell upgrade funding shelved - Doyle challenges Hargey to publish legal advice

Derry Aontú councillor Emmet Doyle has has challenged Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey to publish her Department's legal advice on the shelving of the sub-regional stadia programme which was to complete the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry.

Cllr Doyle said: “The news in the Assembly yesterday that the Minister was shelving a long awaited funding package that would’ve completed Phase 2 of the Brandywell was met with disbelief and rightly so.

“This programme has been stuck in the mire for several years now with little progress and I recently had officials from the Department for Communities into council who confirmed the same.

“If the Health Minister can unilaterally change Covid regulations with the permission of other Ministers then the Communities Minister should have no problem releasing funding earmarked by her own Department.

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“I don’t buy the line that it was agreed to go back to the Executive.

“Derry has waited long enough for this funding, it should be released immediately and I am demanding the Minister release her own Department's legal advice to her that states the programme cannot go forward without Executive approval.”