A SINN FEIN councillor has said she feels she is "back in the 1980s" after claiming her microphone was deliberately switched off during a council debate.
Patrice Hardy, a member of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, alleged she was twice prevented from speaking by TUV deputy mayor Timothy Gaston during a discussion about a UDR memorial in Ballymena.
The motion, which was approved, was for a commemorative stone to be erected in the War Memorial Garden on the Galgorm Road.
A proposal by SDLP councillor Declan O’Loan and Sinn Féin to adjourn the matter to allow for an equality impact assessment was defeated.
Mr Gaston chaired the debate on Monday, meaning he had control over microphones, but declined to comment on whether he had deliberately switched Ms Hardy's off.
He said: "She was challenging the speaker and I was trying to chair the meeting. Her light went out and I moved on to the next speaker."
The TUV man’s version of events was described as "nonsense" by the Sinn Fein councillor.
Ms Hardy said: "Sometimes it is technical, but this time it wasn’t. It is very clear that it was done on purpose.
"It was switched on and then it was switched off and he moved on to the next person."
She added: "My constituents were left disenfranchised by this. I have written to the chief executive of the council as I am seeking a meeting because this is the second time this has happened."
Relations have been strained between the TUV and Sinn Fein on the council since its creation.
In April, on the opening night of the super council, a row erupted when Mr Gaston refused to pose for a ‘selfie’ with Ms Hardy.
She said: "They shouldn’t be chairing meetings if that is their attitude. They won’t even say hello to us in the corridor. They pretend as if we don’t exist."
Mr Gaston said he welcomed the decision to "commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of those from Ballymena who served in the UDR".
The deputy mayor added: "On behalf of the nationalist community, I was embarrassed by the behaviour of their elected representatives, their negative and often offensive language and their inability to show real civic leadership."
