A request from Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to illuminate a civic building in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area for US Independence Day has been deferred after a council committee vote.

Councillors refused to make an immediate decision on Tuesday evening, opting instead to send the matter to party group leaders for further discussion. Alderman Mark Baxter of the DUP proposed the delay, warning that a blanket ban on such requests – introduced in April 2024 – should not rule out one-off events of historical significance. The vote passed by eight to six.

The policy change last year stopped almost all building light-ups, with an exception only for a nominated charity of the Lord Mayor. Officials told the governance committee that the ministerial request was the first of its kind since the policy took effect.

Alliance Councillor Peter Lavery insisted the existing rules should be followed and said charities that had previously benefited from illumination were now losing out. He accused the minister of focusing on the wrong priorities, arguing that the housing crisis and pressures on social security were being ignored while ministerial time was spent on a lighting request. Lavery also suggested the gesture was an attempt to curry favour with the US administration.

Sinn Féin Councillor Keith Haughian warned that accepting the request could set a precedent and encourage a flood of similar applications. He added that the council would be sending a damaging signal to local charities if it treated a political request differently. Party colleague Catherine Nelson called the minister’s intervention “ridiculous” at a time of housing shortages, and Kevin Savage queried why the request had been handled differently from others.

Alderman Baxter defended the idea of a one-off commemoration, pointing to the borough’s business links with the United States, including the pharmaceutical firm Almac. He said the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was an event of historic importance that should be looked at properly.

The proposal to have party leaders examine the issue will now go before the full council for a final decision.