A RESIDENT in a Co Antrim town at the centre of a Christmas decorations row is preparing to launch a legal challenge.
Some residents of Crumlin claims that the nationalist village had its funding for festive decorations cut by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
Residents say the town is the only main settlement in the district not to receive significant funding for Christmas decorations.
Other main towns in the area, including Antrim, Ballyclare, Glengormley and Randalstown, will continue to have Christmas events.
In a separate move some residents held a torch lit procession to highlight the issue on Sunday.
The council says that in February this year it offered free Christmas lights and made £18,000 available to those for groups that wanted to buy their own tree.
It has emerged that equality screening on the project was completed in January, 2018, two months after the Christmas events programme was agreed.
Solicitor Michael Brentnall, of Brentnall Legal, said court action may now be launched.
“We are instructed by a Crumlin resident on whose behalf we have entered into correspondence with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council with a view to the commencement of judicial review proceedings,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the council said its decision "affects 18 areas and not just Crumlin".
"Most of these areas would be viewed as being predominantly unionist and therefore the Council strongly refutes any allegations of discrimination of any kind," she said.
"The council will continue to consider feedback from the 18 areas affected by this decision in any future review of Christmas events."
