Stormont’s unionist parties have been forced to meet the full cost of installing a commemorative stone at Parliament Buildings to mark Northern Ireland’s centenary.
They had hoped the cost would be met by the public purse, however, the DUP, UUP and TUV have now agreed to pay for the so-called Centenary Stone out of their own pockets.
The parties had claimed earlier this year that it would be “problematic” to ask them to cover the “full installation costs” of £18,000.
But the decision to ensure they met the full cost was ratified at a meeting of the unionist-dominated Assembly Commission on Tuesday.
The three-member panel that oversees administration of assembly matters is made up of the DUP’s Trevor Clarke, UUP deputy leader Robbie Butler and Alliance’s John Blair.
It means the installation of the Portland stone sculpture of the six counties may finally proceed in 2024, some three years after it was first proposed.
Sinn Féin, whose then Assembly Commission representative John O’Dowd originally blocked the proposal for a commemorative stone, has described the unionist parties’ focus on the memorial, in the midst of failed efforts to restore the institutions, as “bizarre”.
The three parties have agreed to collectively meet the cost of installation of the stone but on condition that they “do not exceed 10% of the original estimate”.
A formal contract will be signed between the Assembly Commission and the donor parties to indemnify the commission against the recovery of costs.
It was originally proposed that the stone would be located to the west of Parliament Buildings, costing around £4,000, however, following an equality impact assessment it was recommended that it be sited in the area known as the East Glen, close to he recently-restored tomb of former Northern Ireland prime minister James Craig and his wife Cecil.
Locating the stone at the alternative site is costing significantly more due to additional landscaping.
A spokesperson for the Assembly Commission said: “There will now be a number of actions to be undertaken before work can commence, including seeking listed building consent and planning permission, the timeline for which is outside of the Assembly Commission’s control.”
A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “It’s bizarre at a time when public sector workers are on strike because they are being denied a fair pay rise as a result of the DUP’s blockade of the assembly, and when patients are suffering on waiting lists, and families facing a cost-of-living crisis, that the focus of the three unionist leaders is on a centenary stone.”