Sinn Féin councillor Jim McVeigh. Picture by Cliff Donaldson

COUNCILLORS in Belfast have voted in favour of allowing staff or contractors to remove materials from any bonfire site in the city.

In a specially convened meeting last night, councillors backed the proposal by 31 votes to 21 with nationalists and unionists split on the issue.

Sinn Féin, the SDLP, Alliance and People Before Profit voted in favour, while the DUP, UUP, PUP and Green Party voted against.

The meeting was called by Sinn Féin following concerns over August anti-internment bonfire sites, but the party said its proposal related to all bonfires.

It welcomed the outcome of the vote, saying it sends out a "strong message against displays of hate".

But unionists dismissed the meeting as unwelcome and unnecessary – and accused Sinn Féin of a "cultural war on the unionist community".

The vote follows weeks of tensions over bonfires built ahead of the Twelfth as well as August anti-internment pyres.

Anti-internment bonfires are lit in some nationalist areas to mark the anniversary of the introduction of internment on August 9 1971.

Read more: Woman who lives near bonfire site says she is storing pallets 'for decking'

The lead-up to the Eleventh Night was dominated by controversy after The Irish News revealed the council had been storing pallets at ratepayers' expense.

An investigation has been launched by the council into the decision.

There have also been safety concerns after a loyalist bonfire damaged an apartment block near Sandy Row.

The motion called for the council to give permission to staff or employ contractors to remove bonfire materials from council sites, those owned by other public bodies or private property.

Sinn Féin claimed unionist parties had refused to give permission to remove materials from August bonfire sites.

Jim McVeigh, the party's council group leader, welcomed the last night's outcome.

"The council has a duty to act and deal with these unacceptable bonfires and public displays of hate," he said.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that residents who live close to these bonfires are protected, that they can feel safe in their own homes."

The SDLP's Tim Attwood said of August bonfires: "There is a community and political consensus in these areas that we don't want bonfires".

He said it was "regrettable that we have allowed another media storm" and added that last night's meeting could have been avoided.

However, the DUP's Lee Reynolds said the meeting was unnecessary, claiming that parties had already agreed to allow the removal of materials from August bonfire sites.

Independent unionist councillor Ruth Patterson said that Sinn Féin had "no spirit of compromise" and "no willingness to build a shared future".

"They want to make this council chamber the front line of a cultural war on the unionist community," she said during the city hall meeting.

The Green Party's sole councillor Georgina Milne, who opposed the motion, warned that the "health and safety of workers should not be jeopardised".