Anna Lo MLA said: “As the Local Government Bill completes its passage through the Assembly, I am glad that several key Alliance amendments were included in the legislation.
“Thanks to the Alliance Party, the new Councils will have greater levels of openness and transparency as the audio of the main Council meetings will be recorded and Council papers will be placed online. It is important that the public are able to scrutinise the decisions and comments of their elected representatives.
“Alliance has also further improved the freedom of the press at the new Councils by ensuring that journalists and the public will be able to use social media during meetings.
“However, I was disappointed by the opposition of the UUP, SDLP and Sinn Fein to an Alliance proposal to place good relations considerations on a par with equality in the new Councils. Their decision to vote against this amendment raises serious questions over their support for a shared future.”
ENDS