The North's environment minister, Lord Dubs, has announced plans to increase powers for Northern Ireland's 26 local authorities.
He said yesterday that initiatives being considered include legislation to give councils the power "to do what they consider appropriate in the interests of their district and its people".
Other initiatives include proposals for greater representation of councillors on public bodies and "fuller and more meaningful consultation with district councils by central government, particularly in planning," he told the annual conference of the UK's Society of Local Authority Chief Executives in Belfast.
While unionists generally welcome any increases in local powers, the SDLP fears that this could be an attempt to strengthen local government in the North without reference to the three stranded approach to political development.