The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has agreed to highlight the issue of discrimination at Lisburn City Council.
The decision has been welcomed by Sinn Féin's leader on Lisburn Council, Paul Butler, who wrote to Mr Livingstone raising the issues of equality, discrimination and power sharing at the controversial council.
Lisburn City Council has been lambasted in recent years for failing to elect nationalists to senior positions within the council.
"Once again the spotlight will be on Lisburn Council over its appalling record of discrimination and exclusion of nationalists, this time by the Mayor of London," said Councillor Butler.
Sinn Féin recently sent the Mayor of London a copy of its dossier: Lisburn A History of Discrimination. The dossier will also be sent to the British and Irish governments, the Equality Commission and the Human Rights Commission.
In a written reply to Councillor Butler, Mr Livingstone said, "I would be happy to raise the matters outlined in the dossier with Lisburn Council's Mayor and Chief Executive. I fully support the principles of equality set out in the Good Friday Agreement."
Chris Donnelly, Sinn Féin's Killultagh representative said that unionists on Lisburn Council need to share power with Sinn Féin and end discrimination.
"However, if the stance adopted by DUP politicians across the North at local government level in Lisburn, Ballymena, Castlereagh and Larne is anything to go by, unionism remains absolutely opposed to power sharing with nationalists."
Paul Butler said that nationalists are right to demand clarity and certainty from the DUP in particular over power sharing.
"We demand immediate action from the DUP and UUP in Lisburn – either prove your commitment to power-sharing is genuine by acting at local government level now, or stand exposed as unreconstructed bigots," said Councillor Butler.
