Belfast City Council will set up a special committee to focus on the effects of Brexit, it has been confirmed, after the move was secured by Alliance Councillor Emmet McDonough Brown.
Speaking after the proposal was rubber stamped at the latest Strategic, Policy and Resources Committee on Friday morning, Emmet described the move as ‘crucial’, adding Belfast couldn’t afford to ‘sit back and wait for Brexit to hit’.
Made up of elected representatives, the committee will consider how to mitigate the impact of Brexit on Belfast and its citizens.
Councillor Emmet McDonough Brown added: “This is an important mechanism for assessing Belfast’s challenges and opportunities in the context of Brexit. As the Brexit negotiations around the solution to the Irish border question ramps up, and with no government still in place, Belfast can now be assured we will do our best to mitigate the damage Brexit will cause.
“We must lay the groundwork now, meeting with businesses and communities, assessing what our options are to ensure Belfast’s position as a global city is protected.
“The majority of people in Northern Ireland backed remaining in the European Union, recognising that our society only works on the basis of sharing and interdependence, whereas Brexit is all about erecting new divisions and barriers.
“I looking forward with being involved as this project unfolds.”