There is something rather ironic about organisations that issue final demand letters to small businesses while failing to pay their own bills.

Coleraine BID members are reportedly receiving those letters this week, warning of possible court action if payment is not made. The message is clear: we mean business.

Yet the irony runs deep. Coleraine BID itself appears unable to pay what it owes to freelancers who have completed work for them. Emails are sent, but there is no reply. No explanation, no courtesy, no accountability.

It is a familiar scene. An organisation that demands promptness from others but fails to practise it itself. A group that talks about community partnership while ignoring the people who actually help make things happen.

Reputation is not built by the invoices you send, but by the ones you pay. You cannot speak about responsibility while avoiding your own. You cannot call for engagement while refusing to answer. You cannot promote business integrity in Coleraine while quietly undermining it.

Perhaps it is time Coleraine BID put as much effort into replying to emails as it does into issuing demands. Trust, like an unpaid invoice, has a due date. And theirs may already have passed.