A ROW in Belfast City Council during the last monthly meeting before Christmas revealed the stark differences between the DUP and all other parties with regards to having the Executive back up and running at Stormont.

A DUP motion calling for the Council to write to the Department of Education to express concern over the price of school uniforms and for the department to take measures to tackle the rising costs had an amendment added by the SDLP which was successfully passed.

SDLP Councillor Paul Doherty stated that efforts to tackle school uniform costs had been stifled by the DUP’s collapse of the Executive, meaning there was effectively no Education Minister for the council to even correspond with.

Councillors spoke pointedly on the need for a return of the Assembly to address the needs and costs of families who are currently struggling.

Sinn Féin Oldpark councillor Nichola Bradley said: “An Assembly is needed to legislate and deal with the huge cost of school uniforms which is leaving families struggling to meet these costs. The stark findings of Save The Children are a clear signal that families need a functioning Assembly to tackle huge costs that are coming at them year after year.

“It is not acceptable that families are having to choose between eating or making sure their child is properly prepared to attend school.”

The DUP responded angrily to the amendment and refused to support it with DUP Councillor Bradley Ferguson saying: “We listen to these comments month in and month out. To listen to them you’d think the Northern Ireland Executive was one of the best government’s there has ever been in the world because they had a bottomless pot of money that solved every problem going.

“Our party has outlined clearly, we are ready to go back into government and we will go back into government when the deal is right.”

Councillor Ferguson then attacked the SDLP over the party's recent election results saying “they do not have the faith of the people of Northern Ireland to be in the government of Northern Ireland".

Other councillors including Brian Smyth of the Green Party, Séamas de Faoite of the SDLP, Michael Collins of PBP and Michael Long of Alliance chastised the DUP on their position.

The amendment passed 41 to 14 with only the DUP objecting.

Speaking after the amendment passed Councillor Doherty said: “Every family with school-age children is aware of the massive increase in school uniform costs over the past few years. Given the additional pressures heaped on many with the cost of living emergency and rising bills, expecting parents to heap out hundreds of pounds per child is completely unrealistic and unsustainable.

“While I welcome the intent of the DUP’s motion, they cannot fail to acknowledge that their party is directly impeding our progress in introducing affordable school uniforms and PE kits for children across the North. It’s this uncomfortable truth that led them to vote against the amended motion.”