ALLIANCE Councillor Tom Ekin has criticised other parties in Belfast for not removing their election posters – three months after the public went to the polls.
Cllr Ekin removed a number of posters himself from lampposts in South Belfast this week, saying it was a poor example for politicians to set while the City Council was promoting a ‘tidy Belfast’ campaign.
Cllr Ekin stated: “It is simply not good enough for those seeking elected office to leave their posters up illegally on Belfast’s lampposts while the Council is trying to clean the city up. This is an appalling example for politicians to set.
“The Department has also neglected its duties – if these posters are not removed within two weeks from polling day, there are supposed to be prosecutions. The Department said it would take legal action after Christmas. It didn’t.
“The law is there is but is not being used to deal with illegal lamppost litter, because that’s what these posters are. They might as well be paramilitary flags, for all the attention the authorities have paid to them.
“Practical leadership is needed in Belfast, where the Council spends £1 million per year making the city look more attractive. My three-mile trek around South Belfast’s lampposts cost very little, but it should never have been necessary in the first place.
“There are still some posters up, but I’m hoping that when this article is published, it might shame other parties into taking them down.”