Counting Foyle votes in Lisburn 'total non-starter'

The proposal to switch future Foyle Assembly election counts from the Meadowbank Sports Arena in Magherafelt, to the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn in County Antrim has been described as a “total non-starter” by a member of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

The Meadowbank Sports Arena has been used in recent Assembly, Westminster and European elections to count votes cast in several constituencies in the North, including its most westerly constituency, Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

More than 130 kilometres away from Derry’s previous count centre, the Foyle Arena, the Eikon Exhibition Centre is almost two hours from the city.

Speaking to Derry News following the publication of a letter from the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) mooting the move, Cllr Emmet Doyle (Aontú) said: “Travelling to Magherafelt was bad enough, with the well-known issues about that venue, but I don’t understand how anyone could think moving to Lisburn was a better alternative.

“The voters of Foyle already lost an electoral office, their votes should be counted here. This is a total non-starter.”

People Before Profit Councillor Shaun Harkin said he regarded Magherafelt for election counts as “less than ideal” for those travelling from Derry and beyond.

Cllr Harkin added: "We should be able to utilise Foyle Arena and that would certainly be our preference. It is an excellent facility with none of the problems experienced elsewhere. This is the logical thing to do.

"The Election Office was moved to Belfast. The Election Count Centre is to go to Lisburn. What is next?

"Derry is among the biggest cities on the island. We can't allow it to be continually downgraded."

“The size of Meadowbank also meant it was extremely cold. The numbers going into the centre meant there were huge queues, which resulted in many people missing parts of the count. However, Lisburn should be out of the question. There is not a need for us to travel that far.”

"The Election Office was moved to Belfast. The Election Count Centre is to go to Lisburn. What's next?

"Derry is among the biggest cities on the island. We can't allow it to be continually downgraded."

Following May’s Assembly election count in May there were widespread media complaints about the abysmal lack of WiFi connectivity in Meadowbank. People were also unhappy with the speed of the count and the travelling

Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin (SDLP) said the decision to move the count centre was “grossly unfair”.

She added: “It is quite frankly absurd, especially in the grip of winter. If the Magherafelt centre is no longer to be used, then alternative but appropriate options should be consulted on with all relevant stakeholders.”

In recent correspondence to its staff, EONI confirmed Meadowbank was unlikely to be utilised in the event of a winter Stormont Assembly poll, should the British Secretary of State call a fresh Assembly poll.

It said: “An alternative venue being explored is the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn.”

Politicians have in the past complained about cold temperatures at Meadowbank.

Chief electoral officer Virginia McVea confirmed there were no plans to use Meadowbank in the event of a winter Assembly election.

Ms McVea said: “I have been writing to staff and those responsible for polling places across Northern Ireland as part of contingency planning in case an unscheduled election is called.

“Given the time of the year and issues around heating, the Single Transferable Vote (STV) count and the availability potentially of other preferred venues that often are not available, we are not at present planning to use the Magherafelt sports arena.

“That said, I would congratulate the team there who always do a tremendous job during the elections and manage a great facility.”

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan (SDLP) said Meadowbank had been “far from suitable” as a count centre.

He added: “I’m aware that it caused significant issues for the media covering the May 2022 Assembly Election.

“However, proposals from the Electoral Office to relocate the count centre to Lisburn in the event of a winter election is just another reason to avoid one to begin with.

“This proposal is hugely unfair to those based in the North West and reduces employment opportunities for people here as well as for local reporters. The EONI office has already been centralised to the disadvantage of voters here and these contingency plans further underscore that notion of centralisation, to the detriment of areas like the North West. While the prospect of a snap election may be unavoidable, the costs associated with another election are completely unjustifiable given the current financial chaos facing so many families.

“Political posturing from the DUP is wearing thin, they need to wake up to the reality facing our communities and form an executive as a matter of urgency.”

Sinn Fein MLA for Foyle, Ciara Ferguson, said people had voted for change in the Assembly election in May.

She added: “They voted for parties to work together to tackle the challenges facing workers and families.

“The DUP are blocking an Assembly and Executive because they don’t respect the will of the people and the democratic outcome of that election.

“It’s a cruel dereliction of duty at a time when workers, families and small businesses are struggling to pay their bills and facing a cost-of-living emergency.

“Sinn Féin is ready to form an Executive now. That’s what the people voted for. We want to work together with others to put money in people’s pockets, fix the health service and make people’s lives better,” said Ciara Ferguson.

Foyle MLA Gary Middleton (DUP) was also contacted for a comment on the proposed moving of the Foyle count centre to Lisburn.

The DUP is currently refusing to form an Executive at Stormont in a protest over the NI Protocol, which formed part of the Brexit negotiations between the EU and Britain. It stipulated there would be no new checks on goods crossing the border between the North and the Republic of Ireland. 

At the time of going to press, Mr Middleton had not provided Derry News with a comment.