Long welcomes reopening of community centre, but questions remain

9.55.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 19th Jun 2006

Alliance Castlereagh Councillor, Michael Long

Alliance Castlereagh Councillor Michael Long has welcomed a constructive meeting which has led to the re-opening tomorrow of a Castlereagh community centre that had closed after loyalist paramilitary threats.

Cllr Long stated: "This incident in Cregagh has left staff and others in the local area shaken, but I am glad that sense has now prevailed.

"It is essential that facilities designed to look after the local community, particularly the younger members of it, are accessible for all and it is intolerable that local people have lost use of this essential service over recent days. Staff must also know they can get on with the job without fear.

"It is unacceptable that our staff have been threatened in this way by loyalist paramilitaries and it is clear that the UUP in Castlereagh have questions to answer about whether they will continue to support a pact at Stormont which structurally links them to the paramilitary groups most likely to have been involved in these threats."

ENDS