Civic forum defends make-up of body
The head of the Northern Ireland Civic Forum today deflected internal criticism that the body was dominated by Good Friday Agreement supporters.
As the 60-strong body of public opinion prepared for its third open meeting, chairman Chris Gibson defended it against charges levelled by Pastor David McConaghie.
The Elim Minister expressed concerns that it was overrun by enthusiasts for the Good Friday Agreement.
But Mr Gibson said: "I’m quite certain that amongst our numbers there are some who do not support the Agreement.
"This isn’t the issue, the issue is how do we represent civic society in its entirety, including those who disagree with the Agreement and the concept of it, across the board in a way that we can help the governance of this place, so that we can actually make it work."
The Forum, which meets in Belfast today, has welcomed the Stormont Executive’s draft Programme for Government.
It has also suggested that the administration considers some additional sources of public funding to boost its coffers, including the regional rate.
Mr Gibson said that extra services require extra resources, through better use of current funding and finding additional finances.
"Of course one of those ways would be through a regional rate. Other ways would be congestion charges or indeed public private finance initiatives," he said.
A peace-making committee was also being launched today to study issues such as the continuing menace of sectarian attacks over the coming months.
