Anger at Cottonmount landfill decision: Ford

Alliance Leader and South Antrim Assembly member David Ford MLA has condemned the decision announced by the Department of the Environment to allow Cottonmount Quarry at Mallusk to be used as a landfill site. He specifically said that the Minister should have met local campaigners as she had previously refused to meet them, saying such […]

Alliance would not stand in Deeny’s way in West Tyrone

ALLIANCE Leader David Ford MLA has said his party would not stand in the way of West Tyrone Westminster candidate Dr Kieran Deeny. Speaking after a report that the SDLP was considering standing aside to allow Dr Deeny the best possible opportunity to win the seat from sitting MP Pat Doherty, Mr Ford stated: “It […]

Alliance hands over bus petition to Translink

Castlereagh Alliance Councillor, Michael Long, East Belfast Assembly Member, Cllr Naomi Long, and Laganbank representative Allan Leonard are to hand over a petition with over 600 signatures demanding the reinstatement of the Number 34 bus service from Mount Merrion to the Cregagh Road. They said that they have been overwhelmed by the response which clearly […]

‘Education cut is a racist insult’: Leonard

Alliance Party Spokesperson for Belfast Laganbank, Allan Leonard, has condemned the announcement by the Belfast Education and Library Board that they are to scrap an English Additional Language Support Unit. Mr Leonard will is writing to the Equality Commission, as he believes the cuts may discriminate unnecessarily against children from ethnic minorities. Mr Leonard pointed […]

Ford slams education cuts

ALLIANCE South Antrim Assembly member and Party Leader David Ford has strongly criticised Education Minister Barry Gardiner after the North Eastern Education and Library Board voted for major cuts to school services under duress. Mr Ford stated: “The Northern Eastern Board is severely under-funded already, and these cuts to services will badly affect children’s education […]

New RPA Document is a Better Way to Go: McCarthy

Alliance Party Chief Whip, Alderman Kieran McCarthy MLA (Strangford), has welcomed the publication of a revised consultation document on the Review of Public Administration, giving options that better reflect the need to preserve local identity and democratic accountability. Kieran McCarthy stated: “This document marks a major change of course by the Government on the Review […]

Ford Welcomes Publication of ‘A Shared Future’

Alliance Party Leader, David Ford, has welcomed the publication of ‘A SHARED FUTURE’ THE FRAMEWORK FOR GOOD RELATIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND, and stressed that it holds the key to saving the £1 billion per year that is wasted on segregation. David Ford said: “Alliance has been pushing for a radical overhaul of community relations policies […]

Alliance Welcomes New Initiatives on Flags

Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry, has welcomed the creation of a new strategy for dealing with paramilitary and other illegally erected flags as part of the Government’s new community relations policy – ‘A SHARED FUTURE’ THE FRAMEWORK FOR GOOD RELATIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND. However, he also stressed that the strategy will be more than […]

Council expenses reveal value of Alliance

Castlereagh Alliance Councillor Michael Long has revealed that on average Alliance Councillors have cost ratepayers £7,745.27 less than Ulster Unionist Councillors over the past four-year term and £6,948.94 less than DUP Councillors over the same period. The figures show that the average UUP Councillor has obtained £29,300.67 in expenses and allowances from the Council in […]

Farry Calls for New Integrated School in Bangor

North Down Alliance Councillor, Stephen Farry, has called for the education authorities to facilitate the building of an integrated school on land zoned for a new primary school in south Bangor within a wider housing development, under the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan. The land in question is BR 05/13 – Housing: Land to the north […]