Fury as the DUP in Lisburn succeed in having the Union flag flying all year round
Sinn Féin are mounting a legal challenge to the DUP-dominated Lisburn City Council's decision to permanently reinstate the Union flag at its civic headquarters throughout the entire year.
As it stands, the flag is erected at the Council on 19 days of the year, which already exceeds the level recommended in government guidelines.
However, ignoring the last-minute warnings of the Council's Chief Executive about the legality of what they were proposing, DUP and UUP councillors at Tuesday night's Council meeting voted overwhelmingly in favour of having the flag permanently reinstated.
They also managed to overstep a standing order, which dictates that a two-thirds majority is needed to overturn existing Council policy, by voting to suspend the standing order.
DUP councillor Jeffrey Donaldson suggested that flying the flag at Council buildings throughout the year would have the effect of reducing the number of Union flags flown elsewhere in the city.
However, Sinn Féin's Paul Butler dismissed this argument as "ludicrous" and told the Andersonstown News that he has contacted the Equality Commission to discuss the legality of what happened in Lisburn City Council Chambers on Tuesday night.
