Castlereagh Alliance Councillor Michael Long has expressed his disgust at a paramilitary attack on a Council-run community centre, and said such actions justify the Alliance Group’s stance on links to paramilitary representatives. The centre was broken into and threats made to staff employed by the Council. Cllr Long, the Alliance Vice Chair, stated: “No matter […]
Alliance Assembly Health Spokesperson Kieran McCarthy has said more ambitious measures than just advertising restrictions are needed to tackle childhood obesity. Responding to news that UK Government ministers are considering clamping down on more than just TV advertising, the Strangford Assembly member stated: “Ministers need to consider measures well beyond restrictions on any form of […]
Alliance Party Vice Chair Michael Long has said that Ulster Unionist mistruths are no way to defend their Assembly link to representatives of the UVF. Responding to a press statement where Ulster Unionists erroneously claimed the Antrim Council Alliance Group had backed an Ulster Unionist candidate for Deputy Mayor, the Castlereagh Councillor stated: “In each […]
In his letter to you (June 2), in reference to loyalist paramilitaries, Councillor Michael McGimpsey claims that “loyalism is in transition”. The hint that this “transition”, under pressure from the UUP, might show tangible evidence of a move away from criminality is regrettably not supported by the evidence. In its most recent report the IMC […]
The Alliance Party has led a coalition of all parties to deliver the first SDLP Deputy Mayor in the history of Castlereagh Borough Council. This follows on from the Alliance Party’s insistence that it would not back an Ulster Unionist candidate following the UVF assassination attempt, in the light of that party’s Assembly link-up to […]
Alliance Party Leader David Ford has blasted direct-rule Minister David Hanson, after the Minister claimed Alliance backed the Government’s rates policy. David Ford stated: “The Minister’s comments are entirely false. If he believes these are our views, he has been seriously misled. “The Alliance Party’s calls for a local income tax bear no relation to […]
Alliance Party Chair Yvonne Boyle has said that much work remains to be done improving communications with victims of crime and making a human rights culture central to every aspect of public life. Speaking at the launch of the Justice Oversight Commissioner’s sixth and final report, the Coleraine representative stated: “It is pleasing that most […]
Alliance Assembly Energy Spokesperson Séan Neeson has said that proposals announced for England and Wales concerning council tax reductions for energy efficiency in private homes must be extended to Northern Ireland. He said it must be top priority for any new legislative Assembly, and it should form part of the Review of Public Administration. The […]
The Alliance Party Group in Castlereagh has announced that it will not support the Ulster Unionists for the position of Deputy Mayor at the Council’s AGM on Thursday and will not do so until the paramilitary groups to which their Assembly members are linked are on ceasefire and start addressing decommissioning. The group also confirmed […]
Alliance Party Chief Whip Kieran McCarthy has angrily condemned the Secretary of State for banning MLAs from discussing essential issues affecting those who elected them next week. The Strangford Assembly member blasted: “The Secretary of State is being utterly disingenuous when he says there was ‘no agreement’ on which issues to discuss next week. The […]