The Ulster Unionist Party has launched its local government manifesto for the new Mid and East Antrim Council. In a joint statement, the party’s three Carrickfergus candidates, Councillor John Stewart (Castle DEA) and Lindsay Millar and Councillor Andrew Wilson (both Knockagh), highlighted their priorities ahead of next week’s election.
“The new council will have a raft of additional powers ranging from planning to supporting business start-up schemes. It is essential that this opportunity is grasped in order to get the best deal for local people across Carrickfergus,” they stated
“In our local manifesto – one of 11 separate set of priorities our party produced for each of the new councils across Northern Ireland – the Ulster Unionist Party has once again reiterated that the huge cost of the local government reform should not be passed down to local people through an increase in their rates. These changes were a decision of the Northern Ireland Executive therefore it must be prepared to pay towards the overall cost of them.”
Other local priorities identified in the manifesto include:
“An unashamedly town centre first approach to planning, especially in regards to future employment and retail opportunities.
“Using the new off-street car parking responsibilities to specifically target and incentivise support for local businesses on streets and town centres, as well as opposing any roll out of on-street parking charges.
“Set as a strategic priority a recognition of the additional need of rural communities in order to ensure they are not overlooked in the new council.”
The statement added: “People can get a copy of our local manifesto by contacting us directly or alternatively a full copy can be found on www.uup.org.”
Carrick voters will go to the poll on Thursday, May 22.
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