SDLP pushes Ballymena unionists to share power

The SDLP is due to table a motion at Ballymena Borough Council tonight challenging the town's unionist majority to share power with nationalist councillors.

The party wants the DUP-dominated council to share out jobs like mayor and committee chairmanships to reflect the overall composition of the council.

At present, the jobs are all taken by unionists because they are in the majority.

Last week, the DUP and other unionists on Castlereagh Borough Council rejected a similar SDLP motion calling for the top jobs to be shared among all the parties represented on the council.

The SDLP and Sinn Féin said the move showed that the DUP could not be trusted to share power with nationalists at Executive level when it was unwilling to do so on a local basis.