A voting pattern at Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has shown the Ulster Unionist Party diverged on some issues around the controversial PSNI move not to charge private companies for the escorting of explosives.

Previously, members agreed to write to the Minister for Justice, Naomi Long, enquiring if she had established the origin of the decision to change practice.

She replied by “reiterating her views” that this is a PSNI matter.

The Council also submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the PSNI around the costs, who replied stating the amount of detail sought exceeded the hours assigned, so would not be progressed.

The correspondence was discussed at the Policy and Resources Committee meeting, where Councillor Emmet McAleer, Independent described the Minister’s response as “dismissive” and proposed writing back to establish if the PSNI made representations around a financial feasibility study or costing exercise, given the potential budgetary impact.

This passed 21-4, with Ulster Unionist Councillors Diana Armstrong, Alex Baird, Mark Bell Howard Thornton and John McClaughry in support, while Councillors Robert Irvine, Allen Rainey and Victor Warrington voted against, joined by Democratic Unionist Councillor Errol Thompson, who appeared to be the only member of his party to vote.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Bert Wilson abstained.

A second proposal brought by Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh, Independent , who described the Minister’s response as “completely washing her hands of any form of democratic oversight”, called for the Council to continue submitting FoI requests with tighter timeframes to comply with the PSNI’s “ability to evade public accountability, and it is a disgrace we have to do that”.

However, Councillor McClaughry opposed this, branding it “a waste of time”, adding: “We should be asking something new.”

He also expressed disappointment that “the Minister isn’t aware of what [the] PSNI are doing”.

Councillor O’Cofaigh’s proposal also passed 15-10, and while there was diversion, it was across party lines as opposed to an internal split.

Those voting against were the entire Ulster Unionist grouping, along with Councillor Thompson.