The Alliance councillor Eric Hanvey has quit the party and will not stand in the next local election, saying he has become "disillusioned with politics". Hanvey was elected to Belfast City Council in 2019. He is the second councillor in Belfast to leave a political party and become an independent in recent weeks. Paul Doherty, the former deputy Lord Mayor, left the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party) in a dispute over a council vote on a statue of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. Hanvey's resignation means the Alliance Party now only has ten seats on the 60-strong council. Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, he said politicians have become "more concerned about staying in power rather than doing what's right for the people". Hanvey also described his "frustrations" with Alliance choosing to go into the executive rather than opposition. He said the party has been damaged by being in the executive. "We've [Alliance] always been good, and the reason I joined Alliance, was in identifying the actual problems that lie at the heart of Northern Ireland politics. "I think sectarianism is the big issue that we've never dealt with - that the executive always shi
Jun 2, 2026 → Jun 2, 2026
The Alliance councillor Eric Hanvey has quit the party and will not stand in the next local election, saying he has become "disillusioned with politics". Hanvey was elected to Belfast City Council in 2019. He is the second councillor in…
Read original at BBC →1 updates from 1 source.
The Alliance councillor Eric Hanvey has quit the party and will not stand in the next local election, saying he has become "disillusioned with politics". Hanvey was elected to Belfast City Council in 2019. He is the…
Read original at BBC →What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.
The Alliance councillor Eric Hanvey has quit the party and will not stand in the next local election, saying he has become "disillusioned with politics". Hanvey was elected to Belfast City Council in 2019. He is the second councillor in…
View source →Tier key: T0 = Primary source · T1 = Wire · T2 = Outlet report · T3 = Commentary
A recovery plan which aims to lift police officer numbers to 7,000 by 2028 is in "grave doubt", a union has claimed. Liam Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation of Northern…
The company behind a stalled redevelopment of a large part of Belfast city centre has sold a similar project in Manchester. Last week Castlebrooke said it was bringing forward new…
A government department may have adopted a "hit and miss" approach to safety in an area close to where Noah Donohoe disappeared, an inquest has been told. The inquest into the…
It's one of Belfast's biggest festivals and it is about to bring international musicians, emerging local talent and techno fans together for its twelfth year. This year 80 artists…
The next Lord Mayor of Belfast is to be fluent Irish speaker Róis-Máire Donnelly from Sinn Féin. She said she will try to win over critics of the language during her 12 months in…
SNP leader wants to ensure voices of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ‘are heard loud and clear’ John Swinney has said he plans to work with the nationalist first ministers in…
