The Democratic Unionist Party has defended the decision by Ballymoney Borough Council to confer the freedom of the borough on North Antrim MP the Rev Ian Paisley.
On Tuesday night, the council decided that the DUP leader should receive the honour after "working tirelessly for the people of Ballymoney for over 30 years". Eleven DUP and Ulster Unionists voted in favour of the proposal, with two SDLP members opposing and one unionist abstention.
The decision was condemned "in the strongest possible terms" by SDLP councillor Mr Malachy McCamphill, who said the action would "further alienate the Catholic population of this borough".
The DUP deputy mayor of Ballymoney, Mr William Kennedy, said the award was for the work Dr Paisley had done to improve the quality of life in the borough.
