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An emergency roads motion in Downpatrick council chamber has been blocked by Sinn Fein and the DUP despite claims the district has the “worst potholes in Northern Ireland”.
A majority of elected members of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council voted against the SDLP motion being heard at the monthly meeting with 22 against and 16 in favour.
The rejection of the emergency motion comes as a deadline on a public consultation cames to a close on March 3, which could see a multi-year capital budget proposed for the Department of Infrastructure at £4bn.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service Slieve Gullion SDLP councillor Pete Byrne said: “I wanted councillors to back me on the right for the Stormont Executive to implement the Independent Review of Road Maintenance Funding (Barton Report), including the need for a multi-year budget settlement and long-term asset management planning to prevent continued network decline.”
He added: “NMDDC is the worst council area for potholes in the Northern Ireland with the lowest amount being fixed, a multi-year budget would go a long way to fix the problem.
“We have people in Crossmaglen filling potholes with breeze blocks, there is that much concern over damage being caused to cars as well as accidents on our roads.
“I don’t care what party has the Minister’s post, even if it was our own party, there is a duty of care to make our roads safe. I thought that an emergency motion on the eve before the consultation of the draft on the multi year strategy ends, which [was] Tuesday (March 3) at 5pm, that we as a council could write in and make a representation.
“But [on Monday night] it was deemed that the roads are not an emergency by Sinn Fein and the DUP and I find that absolutely disturbing.”
Cllr Byrne added "Under Article 8 of the Roads (NI) Order 1993, the Department for Infrastructure has a clear statutory duty to maintain our public roads in a reasonably safe condition. Yet Roads NI is currently operating under a Limited Service Policy, where potholes are generally only filled if they are three inches deep or greater. Across South Armagh alone, there are hundreds of potholes breaching safety thresholds that are simply not being addressed.
"This is a failure of government."
When an emergency motion is brought before council a vote is taken to decide if a majority of councillors agree to suspend standing orders to allow the details to be read out in chambers.
A regular motion requires about a week’s notice where as an emergency motion is brought with short notice and must gain support to be heard in open chamber to gain support.
A chairperson may also allow the urgent business to be read out if they deem it of urgency, but this did not happen with deputy chairperson Geraldine Kearns presiding.
In January, Finance Minister John O’Dowd said a draft multi-year budget he published for 2026 to 2029/30 was “a way forward”.
A multi-year budget of three years could allow Stormont departments to plan longer-term spending. But the plan has not been agreed by the other executive parties with scrutiny of the public consultation now expected in the Assembly.
Outside of chambers, Sinn Féin group leader Councillor Valerie Harte said: “Our group received this motion less than two hours before the council meeting, as councillors were travelling to Downpatrick.
“Councillor Byrne had two full council meetings since the budget consultation launched, on January 12th and February 2nd, to submit a motion in good time. “It is irresponsible to expect councillors to pass a motion without proper scrutiny.
“Chronic underfunding and unprecedented rainfall have left our roads in poor condition. We share the frustration of local road users.
“As Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins has secured over £40 million since December in additional funding for road repairs, and is deploying all available resources to deliver urgent works as quickly as possible.
“Whilst the SDLP attempt to engage in political point-scoring, Sinn Féin remains focused on solutions to the problem.”
The LDRS contacted the DUP for comment.
Cllr Byrne's emergency motion called for:
- Urgent implementation of the Barton Report recommendations, including a ring-fenced multi-year budget for structural road maintenance.
- A rural-proofed approach within the Executive’s multi-year budget.
- A time-bound action plan from the Minister for Infrastructure to clear the backlog of safety-critical defects.
- A move away from reactive patching towards planned resurfacing and drainage.
- Greater transparency around inspection and repair performance within our district.
