PROMINENT loyalist Dee Stitt has praised councillors in Mid and East Antrim who refused an offer of funds to help asylum seekers and refugees.
The unionist-dominated council last month voted by 25 to 12 to reject an Alliance motion that would have seen the council draw down £97,000 from the Executive Office.
Mid and East Antrim Council was alone among the north's 11 local authorities in declining its share of a £1.5m pot.
Gregg McKeen, the DUP group leader on the council, said there was a "lack of clarity" about what the funds would be used for.
Minutes of the meeting where the funds were discussed reveal that "several members expressed concerns about availability of housing stock and current pressures on services".
Ulster Unionist councillor Andrew Wilson, the sole unionist representative to vote in favour of funds to assist asylum seekers and refugees, told The Irish News he did so because "it was the right thing to do".
The former deputy mayor received praise for his stance on social media, including from fellow unionists.
However, Mr Wilson also faced criticism from a number of mostly anonymous Twitter accounts.
Mr Stitt, who styles himself a 'proud Loyalist from east Belfast', tweeted "Good lads and ladies", coupled with an applause emoji – indicating backing for the council's decision.
A convicted gunman, the leading loyalist resigned as chief executive of east Belfast community organisation Charter NI in 2018.
His role came under increased scrutiny after he described the loyalist flute band North Down Defenders as "our homeland security".
Two years earlier he had been pictured alongside the then first minister Arlene Foster.
Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said his colleagues on Mid and East Antrim were "astounded" when other councillors voted against the party's motion to accept the funds.
"Being the only council in Northern Ireland to reject the funding is not reflective of the generosity of most of the people who live in this area," he said.
"According to officers the money will now most likely be distributed among other councils so the people who will miss out are asylum applicants and the local groups and churches in Mid and East Antrim who were keen to use this funding to support them."
