Distretto Nord

Accordo TUV-DUP sui seggi consiliari

TUV-DUP deal on council seats

THE TUV and DUP have come to an agreement not to force two council by-elections.

Jim AllisterThe TUV’s Ballymoney councillor, Audrey Patterson, had been widely expected to force a by-election at Monday night’s meeting of Ballymoney Borough Council after DUP councillor Roy Wilson resigned from the council.

But, revealing that a TUV councillor in Craigavon, Mark Russell, was also leaving political life, the TUV said it had reached an agreement with the DUP to allow members of each party to be co-opted onto the respective councils.

Confirming the deal, North Antrim DUP MLA Mervyn Storey, who admitted that he was surprised to get a phone call from Mr Allister at the start of last week requesting discussions about a pact, accused his former DUP colleague of putting pragmatism ahead of principle.

Recalling the moment when he received the former MEP’s call, Mr Storey told the News Letter: “I looked at the phone and thought ‘He’s certainly not asking me to join because that ain’t coming’ but I took the call in the same way I’d take any other.”

In a statement, the TUV said: “In light of an agreement reached with the DUP, TUV did not tonight force a by-election in the Bann Valley electoral district of Ballymoney.

“In discussions between the parties over the last week it was agreed that if the TUV permitted a co-option in Ballymoney then the DUP would reciprocate in respect of an upcoming TUV vacancy in Craigavon.

“Councillor Mark Russell, for personal and business reasons, will shortly stand down from Craigavon Council.

“When he does, the DUP has agreed not to oppose the co-option of a TUV replacement. In these circumstances it was mutually advantageous to both parties to follow the course agreed and thereby the ratepayers of both Ballymoney and Craigavon can be saved expense.

“The UUP has also been involved in related discussions with councillor Russell in Craigavon and we acknowledge and appreciate their cooperation there. Such all round inter-unionist cooperation is sensible and beneficial.”

Mr Storey said that Mr Allister had approached him at the start of last week saying that he had a “proposition to put to my party”.

Mr Storey said: “I think it is very strange that the leader of the TUV, who dispensed his bile against the DUP on the evening of the Euro election result, who said that there are a lot of P45s in 66,000 votes and said that the DUP had put its chequebook ahead of its conscience, then had to come and ask one of those who he claimed had put his chequebook before his conscience to endorse his proposition.
“This decision was not made in the better interests of unionism or out of concern for the ratepayers of Ballymoney.”

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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