The SDLP grouping in Belfast City Council has decided not to attend the Lord Mayor's installation dinner because he has refused to invite Sinn Fein councillors. Ms Marie Moore, a Sinn Fein councillor, was recently elected deputy Lord Mayor.
According to Ms Catherine Molloy of the SDLP, the newly elected Mr Robert Stoker of the Ulster Unionist Party has damaged political relations in the City Hall and in the community in general.
"His decision is also inconsistent in that he has invited the PUP and the UDP to the dinner," she added.