The South Belfast representative was speaking after an Alliance initiative to publish all declarations of interest online came into play today (Monday), a scheme which some Councillors in other parties have so-far failed to take seriously.
Councillor Paula Bradshaw said: “The Alliance Party consistently champions openness and transparency, which is why when it comes to declaring our interests everything is available for public scrutiny.
“Sadly, rather than use their time and energy to increase the public’s trust in our political system, it seems a number of Councillors would rather use their time to fight against the Alliance Party’s attempts to end closed-door politics.
“In recent months we’ve seen attempts to block our proposals to secure the audio recording of all Council committee meetings and an outright attack on one of our members who stood up for a more open and transparent system.
“Now we have a number of Councillors refusing to declare property interests – a move in violation of the rules set under the 2014 Local Government Act.
“We’ve asked before, but I must question again – what have they got to hide?”