Northern Ireland's devolved institutions have been described as "critical to delivering real equality", the SDLP's Upper Bann MLA, Dolores Kelly, has said.

Ms Kelly said that thousands of people in NI have been disenfranchised by "ten years of bad governance".

She said: "Real equality in the North is about more than a slogan on a placard. It's about getting down to the business of tackling poverty, homelessness, the denial of residual rights for minority communities and it's about building a fairer society.

"For ten years, people in communities across Northern Ireland have seen housing conditions deteriorate, health inequalities grow and their opportunities stagnate. And all of that against the backdrop of a government which has treated the LGBT community, the Irish Language community and others with contempt.

"Because you can't have real equality while the lines outside food banks are growing. You can't have real equality when working parents are forced to give up a career because childcare is unaffordable."

Ms Kelly said that is was politician's jobs to address these challenges "by providing an economy that delivers sustainable employment across the North, higher education at the cutting edge of innovation that remains affordable and a society that treats all our people with respect, dignity and real equality – giving everyone a reason to build a life and a family here".

She continued: "None of that is possible while parties continue to practise the politics of domination where the humiliation of your opponents is more important than the welfare of your constituents.

"Over the coming days, SDLP representatives will be meeting with a range of stakeholders from the trade union movement to food bank staff and those from groups which have been left behind after ten years of bad government. It's time we delivered real equality and opportunity for people living here. Other parties should join us in that campaign."

(MH/CD)