A Foyle MLA has condemned The Northern Ireland Executive Office for its handling of a dispute over the use of Ebrington Square.
Sinead McLaughlin is questioning why payments of almost £300,000 were made in three cases where legal action was being threatened.
In a letter to Ms McLaughlin, a senior Executive Office official confirms a total of £280,000 was paid out in three settlements on foot of the threat of legal action.
The payments were made to a local hotel, a festival organiser and a funfair.
In a statement, the SDLP representative says she finds it incomprehensible that clear legal agreements were not in place to resolve the use of Ebrington Square.
Instead, she says, we now have the absurd situation of significant payments being made, when contracts should have been in place that provided complete and binding legal clarity over use of Ebrington Square.
Describing the current situation as ‘the worst of both worlds’, Ms McLaughlin says not only has public money been wasted, the Derry public has also been potentially deprived of events in a public space.
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TEO letter to Ms McLaughlin
