Good morning conference

I was told to keep this to two minutes so I shall try to keep this brief.

In the past two years since I was co-opted, I have seen Lisburn and Castlereagh embark on several large projects including the proposed revamp of the Dundonald Ice Bowl and the construction a new link road to Sprucefield, as well as take some bold planning decision although maybe the less said about that the better!

I have seen our group of 9 councillors craft a strong working relationship with the other groups on the council which has, on occasion allowed us to score a few wins against the DUP majority in the council chamber. But the arithmetic to me is clear; of the 40 seats, we have 9 but the DUP have 20 and unless that balance shifts Lisburn and Castlereagh will continue to dance to the DUPs tune, that’s why we will be running 12 candidates next year with the real possibility of getting 12 elected.

Sadly, the way things are going politically, 2019 may turn into a sectarian headcount the likes of which has never been seen before at a local government level. This makes it vitally important for all of us to get out there and show people that they have an alternative. They don’t have to stick to a DUP/Sinn Féin paradigm. Here’s a novel thought: you can be Unionist AND want honest and transparent politics from your elected reps – the two aren’t mutually exclusive!

But this is not just a task for our prospective candidates – this is a task for each and every one of us in this room today. Between now and polling day, let’s get our message across on the doors, in the shops, on the school run, at the gym … wherever. Make every conversation a canvass. If we can all do that, then we might just start to see council chambers shift in our favour, not just Lisburn and Castlereagh but across all 11 in Northern Ireland and get the result which Northern Ireland badly needs.