An Erne East councillor has accused the Northern Ireland Secretary of State of "robbing the piggybank" following the reallocation of funding that was earmarked for a shared education campus in Brookeborough. 

Sinn Féin's Sheamus Greene was speaking at the Council after Chris Heaton-Harris reallocated £150million of shared education funding to the Treasury's £3.3billion financial package for the restoration of the powersharing Executive. 

The funding was destined for a total of 10 projects in Northern Ireland - including a long-awaited shared campus for Brookeborough Controlled PS and St Mary's.

"It has now transpired that the Secretary of State has removed £150million that was ringfenced from Fresh Start funding," said Councillor Greene.

"The Secretary of State has claimed to give £3.3billion to the Executive, when in actual fact he has robbed the piggybank and took £150million that was already there for these projects. 

"He has packaged it up and said it was new money. It wasn't new money," he claimed.

Councillor Greene continued: "The parents and pupils of these schools have put in vast amounts of work over the past 11 years. 

"All of this work was put in, yet now we have basically seen it abandoned. The Secretary of State is now saying that the money could come out of another pot.

"I don't know where the other pot is. It doesn't make any sense."

Councillor Greene then proposed that the Council write a "robust" letter to Mr. Heaton-Harris to convey local anger.

"We need to write to him to make it clear that he is trying to 'cod' people and let on new money has been introduced, when it hasn't," said the Erne East councillor.

Councillor Greene claimed: "All he has been doing is robbing the fund for shared and integrated education. It's pretty despicable, and this council needs to make it clear that it's despicable."

He added: "I would also like to see another letter written to the Executive Office asking for their support that these 10 projects will be completed so that children and parents will no longer be left in the lurch."

The councillor's proposals were seconded by UUP councillor, Victor Warrington.

"The people of Brookeborough were excited by the prospect of a shared campus," Councillor Warrington said.

"Unfortunately, it's just another situation where the money has been pulled. 

"There are a lot of disappointed people in that area, no less from the Board of Governors of both schools."