A Castlereagh councillor has backed his party leader Clare Bailey after she lost her Stormont seat in a devastating election for the Greens.
Simon Lee says Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) seats growth will be his focus for the Green party after a poor Assembly election in which he also failed to win a seat.
Mr Lee, who was eliminated after receiving only 647 votes in Lagan Valley, remains confident, however, of a Green future in his council constituency and across Northern Ireland.
“I am proud of the positive campaign that I ran, and was encouraged that we reached into parts of the constituency that we had not been before,” said Cllr Lee.
“Clare still has the confidence of the party going forward and I suspect we haven’t seen the last of her just yet.
“I would like to thank the team in the Lagan Valley Greens for all their efforts during this election.
“It’s a lot of work, and I am incredibly grateful.
“Five years is a long time in politics.
“The next focus must be the council elections next year then we will see what comes next. The climate crisis is becoming more urgent by the day, there is still a lot of work to do.
“For me the big take away from this election is the importance of transfers in the STV system.
“We saw in some constituencies that some of those lower down preferences can really make a difference.
“Council is now about getting to work to continue delivering on manifesto promises in what is left of this mandate.
“I will continue to work as I always do constructively with all parties for the best possible public services for the people of Lisburn and Castlereagh.”
Mr Lee who is the only Green party member of LCCC has been vocal on combating the issue of illegal dumping and fly-tipping with support for a multi-million pound digital waste tracking system.
The Castlereagh South representative has now called on those elected to Stormont to get an Executive formed as soon as possible.
“The threat of refusing to nominate ministers is unacceptable,” said Mr Lee.
“The people have spoken and they expect their elected representatives to get to work.
“It’s a disgrace to stand on a manifesto promising action on the cost of living crisis and addressing our unacceptably high waiting lists, then to fail to do so because of a Brexit sea border that is the legacy of a Brexit campaign the DUP campaigned for.”
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