Objectors to Belfast city rates hike 'only have eyes on coming election - it could have been much worse'

​Alderman Rodgers – the longest serving member of the city council – said everything had been done to keep the rate rise “as low as humanly possible”.

The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee had already approved the 7.99% hike about a fortnight ago, and this was rubberstamped by the full council when it met on Wednesday night.

Alderman Rodgers said it passed thanks to the DUP (which has 15 members on the council), UUP (four members), and Sinn Fein (eight members) – with the SDLP (six members) abstaining and People Before Profit (three members) objecting.

The Alliance Party (nine members) meanwhile tried and failed to amend the rates hike to 7.71% by scrapping a £500,000 bonfire fund.

Alderman Rodgers said councillors had “been doing our level best” to keep rates increases below 3% in recent years, but that the hike was unavoidable, adding: “The way things are, it could even have ben worse. It could’ve been in double figures.”

He said the Alliance Party motion had been the party’s latest example of doing “anything to get publicity”.

And when it comes to those who opposed or abstained on the vote, he said: “Some of them are only politicking, knowing council elections are going to be happening in May.”

Meanwhile business lobby group Retail NI said it has written to all 11 councils ”urging them to not to excessively hike the regional and local business rates”.

He added that there are “fears that many will simply go under in the next months without government assistance are keenly felt with this perfect storm of high business costs”.

• Belfast City Council votes to hike rates by 8% - here's what it means per house, per year