Mr Iain Frazer, joint Acting Chief Executive, made the comment as an intense discussion broke out at Monday night's monthly Council meeting, prompted by a comment from the SDLP's Vincent Currie.
Councillor Currie, brandishing a letter on Sinn Fein h
eaded notepaper from Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew, demanded to know what the Council policy was on the nature of meetings that can take place in the Council building.
The Councillor said the correspondence he'd received a copy of, had extended an invitation to a meeting held in the Committee Room within the Council Offices on April 18th.
"This is supposed to be a neutral building. The written or unwritten rule (that no political party use the Council office for its own business) has been broken in a shocking way. Sinn Fein have misused and abused the position they hold in this Chamber", he said.
Responding Mayor Barry Monteith said: "Sinn Fein are in the community. I see no difficulty in any political party using this building to hold meetings in. It's open to any legal organisation to hold a meeting in. There are two or three other political parties (UUP and DUP) that use the rooms in here", he said.
And party colleague Francie Molloy noted: "I hosted the meeting. It was open to everyone."
The UUP's Walter Cuddy queried why the issue hadn't been brought to Council, while Jim Cavanagh, SDLP stated:
"It is custom, as far as I know in this Council, that this building is not used for party political purposes."
The DUP's Maurice Morrow said he could never recall a political meeting being held in the (Council) grounds.
"This sends out the wrong message to the community at large. This letter was not sent by a member of the Council."
Mayor Menteith responded: "If this is a public building then all political parties should be able to meet the public in it."
And Francie Molloy explained: "It was a public consultation."
Council Officer Iain Frazer said Council at present had no written policy regarding the use of the Council building but added he would be happy to bring forward a paper citing best practice if that were deemed necessary.
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