Unionist and SDLP politicians have described as a "sectarian carve-up" and a "ghettoisation" of local politics the radical overhaul of local government announced yesterday by Northern Secretary Peter Hain, writes Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor.
The DUP, Ulster Unionist Party, SDLP and Alliance angrily denounced Mr Hain's proposals to create seven super councils in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin supports the plan which will lead to three nationalist dominated councils in the west of the six counties and three unionist majority councils in the east.
Alliance holds the balance of power in the seventh council, Belfast, although there is a possibility that nationalists could achieve a majority in the next elections in 2009, which would give nationalists control of four of the seven councils.
Sinn Féin, which was the only one of the main parties to campaign for seven councils, welcomed the proposals, although unusually for the party, Dungannon councillor and Assembly member Francie Molloy broke ranks and opposed the local government plan.
Mr Molloy was suspended by the party yesterday and now faces a Sinn Féin disciplinary hearing for saying on BBC Radio Ulster that there should be 15 councils and that the seven-council model would create a "straight sectarian head count".
There was a suspicion in political circles last night that part of the motivation behind the plans was to exert pressure on the DUP to enter negotiations with Sinn Féin to restore devolution so that the Northern Executive and Assembly would have control over the councils.
Mr Hain appeared to indicate as much last night when he said that if the parties "do not like the decisions I have taken, they better get back into government quickly in order to take forward the process of change".
In the absence of devolution, the super councils with enhanced powers could serve as an effective alternative to the Executive and Assembly.
The Northern Secretary said that the proposals would go ahead over the next four years regardless of the depth of opposition from parties other than Sinn Féin.
He must know, judging by comments from senior unionist and nationalist politicians, that he will face fierce opposition implementing the plans.
Sinn Féin Assembly member Alex Maskey said the proposals made sense and that there were sufficient checks and balances in the plan to ensure that neither unionist nor nationalist parties could dominate any of the councils.
DUP leader Ian Paisley, however, said the proposals were designed to "split the province" and allow nationalists to pursue a united Ireland agenda in the councils in which they had a majority.
Ulster Unionist and Alliance leaders Sir Reg Empey and David Ford said the proposals would lead to the "Balkanisation" of Northern Ireland.
SDLP assembly member Tommy Gallagher said the proposals were a "disaster". They would create "three green councils and three orange councils and greater segregation in the future".
SDLP MP Eddie McGrady said they would create political "ghettoisation" in the North.
In addition to reducing the number of councils from 26 to seven, there will be a single education authority instead of five, and a single health authority rather than four.
Overall the number of bodies dealing with local government, health and education will be streamlined from 67 to 20 by 2009. Furthermore, next March Mr Hain is to announce plans to dramatically cut the number of quangos in Northern Ireland, currently standing at 152.