Alliance condemns Castlereagh chairs carve-up

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 25th Jun 2002

Alliance Councillor Michael Long has expressed his dismay at the exclusion of Alliance councillors from chairmanships on Castlereagh Borough Council's standing committees.

Speaking after a meeting following the Council's AGM, Councillor Long said: "I am disappointed that once again Alliance has been denied its fair share of chairmanships on the council."

"We are not asking for special treatment - we are simply seeking fair representation at this level based on our share of the vote."

"under any system of proportionality, Alliance would be entitled to at least one chairmanship. Yet again the DUP and UUP have worked together to exclude others from these posts."

"I am also angry that both Alliance and the SDLP have not received their fair share of appointments to outside bodies, especially given the fact that the unionists have supported those from loyalist groupings which have significantly less electoral support throughout the Borough."

"The DUP are happy to lecture everyone on democracy - in Castlereagh, we see the DUP's brand of democracy in action, and it seems that to be the kind which denies participation to anyone who doesn't support their position."

Ends