Girls Aloud are to headline the 17 March concert

A motion to have a St Patrick's Day event included in Belfast City Council's program of events has been defeated.

Sinn Fein tabled the motion seeking council funding for the event at a meeting at the City Hall on Friday.

The motion was defeated by 19 votes to 26 after three Alliance councillors voted against it.

The St Patrick's Carnival Committee has organised a pop concert featuring chart-topping band Girls Aloud at the City Hall on 17 March.

It is hoped that the group, whose debut single Sound of the Underground stayed at number one for a month, will attract tens of thousands of people into the city.

However, the concert has not received council backing.

The committee held what it called a mini carnival outside City Hall while the issue was debated.

Alliance councillor Naomi Long said her party had met the carnival committee recently and it had failed to convince her that the event would be inclusive.

She said: "Alliance is not opposed to a St Patrick's celebration, but we need to see a maturity from the organisers that is simply not there yet.

"As with previous years, there hasn't been a meaningful effort to make the event inclusive.

"To support future St Patrick's Day celebrations, Alliance would need to see compromise on the display of flags and emblems.

"The way to make progress is not to constantly bring contentious motions to the floor of the council, but to engage with parties in dialogue beforehand."