Sinn Féin councillor Patrice Hardy

A COUNCIL has controversially agreed to relax its policy on paying to attend events following an Audit Office probe over spending £1,500 for a table at a DUP dinner hosted by Ian Paisley.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (MEABC) had a spending limit of £500 on attending gala dinners or events.

But a majority of councillors last night backed removing the limit and allowing senior staff to decide on payments for events involving officials without seeking councillors' approval.

Some councillors have claimed the new policy reduces the transparency of public spending, but the DUP has dismissed concerns.

The revised policy was created in response to controversy over the council paying for a table at a DUP dinner in Ballymena hosted by the party's North Antrim MP.

A Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) report found that MEABC broke its own rules in attending the event, The Irish News revealed last month.

Its internal report said the council "did not discuss its attendance at the dinner in line with this policy".

MEABC and another council each paid £1,500 towards the event in 2017 at Tullyglass Hotel which featured British environment secretary Michael Gove.

The payments are being investigated by the Electoral Commission because they are being treated as 'donations' to the North Antrim MP and councils are not considered "permissible donors".

NIAO separately investigated and issued recommendations, including that MEABC should consider amending its policy.

The revised policy was presented last month to councillors at committee level and went to full council for approval last night.

The new document makes no mention of any spending limit.

SDLP councillor Declan O'Loan said last night: "I am shocked and saddened that the council could adopt a policy on attending gala dinners with much less transparency, no spending limit, and giving officers the power to attend dinners without reference to the council."

Sinn Féin councillor Patrice Hardy said she found the change of policy "incredible".

“This shows a blatant disregard and disrespect for the ratepayers," she said.

"This leaves us in dangerous territory. Elected members are the decision makers. We need greater transparency so that the ratepayers know what their money is being spent on."

But DUP councillor Gregg McKeen had dismissed concerns over the draft policy, branding the matter a "nothing story" and saying that senior staff should have discretion "to attend things that benefit council".

The 2017 dinner has been among several DUP events featuring senior Conservatives held since the parties forged their confidence-and-supply deal at Westminster.

Earlier this year Mr Paisley co-hosted a party fundraiser which featured leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg.