Ulster Unionist Party Leader Robin Swann MLA
2019 Local Government Election Manifesto Launch
26 April 2019 - Stormont Hotel, Belfast
A week on from one of the darkest days this country has seen for some time it is important to reflect on the journey we are still on to provide our people with a society fully at peace.
There are still those dark elements out there who seek to destroy lives.
Those who still whip up young people into a frenzy, sending a new generation into the justice system while they retreat into the shadows.
Whether in the Creggan, East Belfast or any other part of Northern Ireland, the message is clear. Get off the backs of our people.
Murder cannot be justified by any cause. Murder was wrong in the past and it is wrong now. And until all political parties recognise that and stop glorifying terrorism, I fear that history will repeat itself. It gives legitimacy to the terrorists of 2019.
That`s why I was also happy to support a call in the Belfast Telegraph earlier this week for ‘Lyra`s Law’ to ‘penalise those who demonstrate, advocate or raise money for any organisation whose aim is to effect political change through the pursuit of violence.’
Those responsible for the murder of Lyra McKee deserve nothing but utter contempt and to spend the rest of their lives occupying a jail cell.
But we cannot ignore the fact that a political vacuum will be exploited and filled by the men and women of the shadows.
As political leaders we must recognise that and get back around the table. No more red lines and pre-conditions. We need to have a frank and honest conversation about what the lack of devolution is doing to our people and the steps that need to be taken.
The reality is that in the absence of Stormont, over the last two years, Local Government has been the last remaining vestige of democracy that still functions and it survived through the toughest of times that Northern Ireland faced.
That is why I believe that this election is about local councils, local democracy, local accountability and local responsibility.
We cannot ignore that this campaign has seen the DUP and Sinn Fein trying to turn it into a border poll and create an atmosphere around it that is as toxic as the one they created at Stormont.
We cannot allow them to turn our local councils into eleven mini-Stormonts ruled by dysfunctionality, blighted with disrespect and wrecked by scandals.
And if this election is in any way about the Union, then it is about the type of Unionism that you want to represent you.
I will work with other Unionist parties across the United Kingdom to strengthen the Union, however I will not turn a blind eye to those who undermine our country with their words and actions. To do so would weaken the very Union we want to protect.
We will be offering our brand of unionism that is about confidence and hope and not fear.
We will be offering unionism that is the check and balance in your councils.
We will be offering unionism that you can trust will deliver for you.
The fact is that the Union is safest when this place works. When people are seeing delivery. When things are good there is no need for anyone to question the constitutional status quo.
At their manifesto launch we heard the absolute nonsense from the DUP about the risks of voting for other pro-Union candidates.
Whilst others want your 1st preference to boost their egos, we are asking for your 1st preference to deliver better services & representation for you.
The real danger of scaremongering about voting for other unionists is that the DUP are putting at risk the sole unionist voice the pro-union population have in some DEAs.
Like David Taylor who has been a key in standing up as the sole voice of the pro-union minority he represents against disgraceful decisions like the one to name a children’s play-park after an IRA terrorist.
Pro-Union voters deserve better.
This is the type of utter selfishness that has seen the DUP lead Unionism into a minority in Stormont and in our Capital City. It is a stark example of a Party that puts itself before the Union.
Let the DUP and Sinn Fein revert to their pathetic scare tactics, for it’s all they have.
We must continue to go to the public and ask them to send a message to those two parties that they know they deserve better and that they want politicians who can deliver better.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the Ulster Unionist Party that is the Party that can deliver better.
With the Assembly still in gridlock after two years it is more important than ever that our eleven local councils have the powers, the ambition and the resources to deliver tangible benefits to the lives of local people.
Our Councils are the foundations of our democratic system here in Northern Ireland, and have stood and delivered through the darkest periods of our history, where we supported the democratic right of representation to the point where our councillors were threatened and murdered by those who opposed democracy.
And that start can come from our local council if Stormont fails to deliver.
Councillors are most aware of the immediate needs within their areas, and as they are closest to the community they are often most trusted by the community.
Councillors have a unique role in shaping our society and creating the environment in which communities and businesses can thrive.
That is why the Ulster Unionist Party wants to see strong, effective, truly empowered local councils.
This Party has always valued the role of local government. That’s why when devolution was restored we quickly identified our local council chambers ripe for bolstering and reform. We wanted fewer councils, with far greater powers.
And so whilst the review process was initiated with great hope and expectation, sadly – like so many other initiatives – the project was hijacked by the DUP and Sinn Fein for entirely political purposes.
As a result, the new council boundaries were carved up – senselessly splitting communities and areas – to suit party political desires. Head less than a mile from here, further up the Newtownards Road, you suddenly and ridiculously find yourself in Lisburn and Castlereagh Council.
To this day some key powers that were to be transferred remain in a now mothballed Stormont.
The savings that were promised – which drifted between £438m to £570m depending which entirely imagined figure they chose use that day - have never materialised.
We were told of huge potential for efficiencies, for an end to duplication and for more services to be delivered more effectively and far more efficiently.
But the figures confirm that hasn’t happened.
That’s why we’re making the call in the manifesto for the Northern Ireland Audit Office to come in and do a full analysis of all costs incurred to date and to quantify any savings that have been generated.
What makes the entire saga so unforgiveable however is that it was ordinary ratepayers left paying the price for these failed reforms.
There are 305,000 homes and 29,000 businesses across Northern Ireland now paying higher rates than before as a direct result of the reforms. The so-called rates convergence support has now long ended and these are families and mainly small businesses paying the price and seeing and receiving absolutely nothing back in return.
With the Assembly still in gridlock after two years I think it’s time we revisit the issue of what role our local councils should perform. That’s why today I am pleased to launch our manifesto which spells out exactly our aspiration for a strengthened and more sustainably funded network of local government services across Northern Ireland.
I want to see a slate of powers wrestled away from a dysfunctional grip at Stormont, down to our council chambers. Most people already assume councils are responsible for cutting the grass, filling in potholes and even providing local youth centres – so let’s give them powers.
And let me just pre-empt the inevitable questions of finance by saying that I want to see more of the money raised locally, spent locally.
How does it make sense that most of this year’s rates bill for instance - which people reasonably assume is for council funds to pay for council services – is actually sent straight to Stormont?
It doesn’t.
That’s why I also want to see a total shakeup of the local rating system. It’s about time people were told the truth about what exactly they’re paying for.
In addition to transferring a swathe of new powers, and overhauling our rating system, I also want to see our councils take a more proactive lead in reacting to the changing face of our town centres. And finally – I want to see local communities empowered to ensure that they are given the chance to retain buildings and facilities which are important to them.
But of course that’s just our central priorities - if you look through today’s manifesto you’ll see each of the issues that matter most to our candidates running across all 11 council areas.
I’m proud and privileged to be Leader of this Party and I am even more delighted that this year we’re running a slate of candidates, current and new, from various backgrounds and levels of experience.
I know that each and every one of them are individually driven and committed to improving their local areas for the better.
Vote for Ulster Unionists who will put the country and your community first and who will deliver better FOR YOU.
Vote Ulster Unionist Party on 2 May.
You can read the Ulster Unionist Party 2019 Local Government Manifesto here