Councillor challenges DUP over power sharing

There are serious question marks about the Democratic Unionist commitment to power sharing at Stormont, a nationalist councillor claimed tonight.

SDLP councillor Brian Hanvey made the claim after unionist councillors amended a motion in Castlereagh Council calling for all council posts to be allocated among all parties.

Unionist councillors backed a DUP amendment to the SDLP’s motion urging Democratic Unionists to prove their commitment to power sharing by fairly allocating council posts among all political groupings.

Mr Hanvey said afterwards: “I think what this vote illustrates tonight is that there are serious questions about whether the Democratic Unionists are really all that interested in power sharing at Stormont.

“They were given the opportunity tonight to show whether recent comments on power sharing were genuine or mere rhetoric.

“I think this has shown that they are not committed to the principle and it certainly will not encourage voters throughout the North (of Ireland) about their commitment to power sharing in other political stages.”

Mr Hanvey also criticised Ulster Unionists who sided with the Democratic Unionists at Castlereagh.

“I think there is a question here also for people who have voted for the Ulster Unionist party,” he said.

“Is their vote now effectively one for the DUP?

“Because a vote like tonight’s suggests that when it comes to issues like power sharing in unionist councils, the UUP and the DUP appear to be joined at the hip and eager to block power sharing.”

SDLP councillors across Northern Ireland are planning to table a series of motions in unionist-controlled chambers testing the DUP’s commitment to the principle of power sharing.

Councillors in Coleraine and Lisburn are also expected to face similar motions to the one put forward tonight in Castlereagh