The regulations would require Councils to put the new call-in procedure into their standing orders.
Anna Lo MLA said: “Once again the DUP have used a petition of concern to block a vote, yet they have done so just days after they expressed their anger at Sinn Fein for submitting a petition of concern to the so called conscience clause. It is completely hypocritical for them to oppose one party using a petition of concern when they then do the exact same thing a week later.
“The call-in procedure is meant to protect minority groups on the new Councils, yet the DUP have used the petition of concern system, which was meant to protect equality and human rights, to block this new system. They are abusing a veto procedure at Stormont because they believe the veto system at Local Government is too easy to abuse. Their hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me.
“They have repeatedly misused the petition of concern system to block debates that this system was never intended for. They are addicted to using petitions of concern.
“The DUP never once raised concerns before this debate, yet all of a sudden they are so opposed to these regulations that they have sought to block it. Once again the ‘Democratic’ part of the DUP’s name could never be further from the truth.”
ENDS