Castlereagh by-election date for Iris seat
A date has been set for a by-election to fill the Castlereagh Borough Council seat left vacant by the resignation of disgraced DUP politician Iris Robinson.
The election will be held on Thursday 6 May.
The DUP had put forward a preferred candidate to replace Mrs Robinson, but the move was met with opposition from two other parties – forcing the by-election.
The by-election is set to cost about £30,000.
The DUP reacted angrily to the move, accusing other parties of trying to score political points at ratepayers’ expense.
But Alliance councillor Geraldine Rice said the public need to have their say on the Robinson issue.
Mrs Robinson quit her three political positions as an MP, MLA and councillor after it emerged she obtained £50,000 from two developers to help her teenage lover open a cafe business.
