Ulster Unionist manifesto launch: council election a choice between delivery or dysfunction, says Beattie

Launching his party’s election manifesto in Belfast, Mr Beattie said the role of local councils is now more vital than ever while Stormont remains mothballed.

The party is running 101 candidates in the election to 11 councils that will take place on May 18.

At the last local government elections in 2019, the Ulster Unionists, once the dominant force in unionism, saw its representation reduced to 75 seats, with just two councillors elected in Belfast.

Mr Beattie told the manifesto launch the election is taking place against the backdrop of the DUP decision to refuse to support the formation of an executive.

He said: “Local government has been a constant. Delivered without breaks, without dramas, through changing times and changing environments.

“I want to see Northern Ireland councils continue to be the heart of decision making within the communities they represent.

“This is vital, now more than ever, while Stormont remains mothballed.

“This election offers a clear choice between delivery or dysfunction.

“I do not want to see our councils become a series of mini-Stormonts where the toxicity that has frustrated the Assembly and Executive takes root.

“We cannot afford to see local government grind to a halt.”

Mr Beattie also said unionist concerns over the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol and the barriers it created in trade between the region and the rest of the UK cannot be ignored.

He said: “The protocol of 2019 was disastrous and continues to have a damaging effect on politics in Northern Ireland.

“The Ulster Unionist Party warned of the dangers from the moment Boris Johnson’s proposals emerged on October 2 2019.

“We have been definitive in our opposition throughout and have articulated the many pitfalls of the protocol.”

He added: “In the years since, we have consistently played our part in providing alternative solutions and lobbied for change across the United Kingdom and European Union.

“We are now presented with the Windsor Framework. It provides both challenges and opportunities. It also represents what many said was impossible – further movement from the European Union.

“What we can now not afford is for decisions that impact on Northern Ireland to continue to be made over our heads.

“That is why it is the firm belief of the Ulster Unionist Party that the Assembly and Executive must be restored to deal with the challenges still posed by the Windsor Framework and to grasp its opportunities.

“Unionism can use the platform of having ministers and assembly members in place to make further progress on these issues, all while dealing with the growing pressures in our Health Service and other areas.

“It is unconscionable that as cuts to services grow deeper, Stormont remains on ice.

“As well as maintaining our place in the United Kingdom, Unionism has a duty to make Northern Ireland work.”

Mr Beattie said his party’s manifesto pledges to press each council to consider appointing a prompt payment champion as well as pushing to devolve regeneration powers to councils with a focus on overhauling planning powers, systems and approach.