Thursday, 27 May 2010


Plans to reduce the number of local council areas in Northern Ireland from 26 to 11 have been delayed until 2015 at the earliest, it was announced today by Edwin Poots, Environment Minister in the Stormont Assembly.
The changes would have meant a merger of Lisburn and Castlereagh councils, to create a strange horseshoe-shaped council area around Belfast.
The Green Party welcomes the delay. The Greens will always be in favour of doing things as locally as possible, and on one level this means smaller council areas. In addition to this, some viewed the move as a plan by the Nationalist and Unionist majorities at Stormont to divide up the council areas to their own advantage, with smaller parties less likely to gain any ground in such large local councils.
The plans to re-align the council areas have already cost £90M.

Friday, 14 May 2010

The Green party is organising a pub quiz to take place on Friday 14th May 2010 in Malone Rugby Club, starting 8 pm.  malone rugby club is in Gibson Park Avenue, off the Cregagh Road (South Belfast) just beside the TESCO store on the cregagh road.
There is plenty of parking at the club.  The entrance will be £5 per person to include a supper (all the sandwiches you can eat!) and a free ballot.  We hope you will be able to come along and support us.

Barbara Haig, South Down Green Party.