Bonfires: Council facing legal action agrees policy

A council facing legal action over the death of a man who fell from a bonfire plans to engage with the community to improve safety.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has been assessing its approach to bonfires after John Steele died in July 2022.

Efforts to agree a formal policy have been postponed by councillors several times over the past year.

But now the council plans to create a "community engagement protocol" as part of attempts to reduce risks.

Hundreds of bonfires are lit annually in unionist communities across Northern Ireland to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the parading season.

Mr Steele, a 37-year-old father-of-two, had been helping to construct an Eleventh Night bonfire in the Antiville area of Larne, County Antrim. An inquest has been opened into his death.

Representatives for his relatives have written to the council seeking damages, according to papers seen by BBC News NI.

The bonfire, constructed with wooden pallets on council-owned land, was more than 50ft (15m) tall.

The council has been considering legal advice following questions around the potential of any public liability when safety issues arise with bonfires.

In its new policy, the council will formally recognise it "does not regulate nor give permission" for unauthorised bonfires constructed on its land.

However, the council will seek to "manage and reduce the risk posed by bonfires" through funding schemes which "promote and encourage safer cultural celebrations wherever possible".

The initiatives offer grants for related community events as well as providing beacons, which are seen as a safer alternative to bonfires.

Officials will liaise with community representatives to prepare and develop a "community engagement protocol" to be approved by the council at a later date.

The council will also continue to carry out "risk assessments" for staff in line with its health and safety at work duties.

The plans were agreed by a majority of councillors in a special meeting held behind closed doors last week.

A total of 24 bonfires were held in the Mid and East Antrim area last year, including 10 on council-owned land.

The largest bonfire in recent years has been in the Craigyhill estate in Larne, with its height in 2022 reported to be around 202ft (62m).

The council's clean-up costs for bonfires across the borough during the summer months last year reached more than £54,000.

In a paper presented to councillors, officials said bonfires remained an "extremely sensitive community and political issue" for which a strategy is needed for the whole of Northern Ireland.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council did not respond to requests for a comment.