HIMSELF ALONE - WARD QUITS SINN FEIN

Mr Ward, who was Sinn Fein's lone voice in the council chamber, said he would continue to represent the people of the district as an Independent councillor.

In a statement released yesterday, he said his decision was taken for "a variety of reasons", but he had been "unhappy" within Sinn Fein for some time and he believed, as a councillor, he had never been given proper support from the party's Upper Bann headquarters.

The news came as a shock to the party's office on Monday when Sinn Fein spokesperson Brendan Curran revealed his astonishment at news of the sudden resignation.

"I was speaking to Dessie just on Friday night and there was never any indication of a forthcoming resignation," said Mr Curran. "Neither was there was any mention of any dissatisfaction with the party and Dessie received all the support he needed from his Sinn Fein colleagues in Upper Bann. This has come as a total surprise to me."

In the statement Mr Ward outlined his dissatisfaction with Sinn Fein and said, because of this, he had been considering his future within the party very carefully and for some time.

"I had been unhappy within Sinn Fein for some time now for a variety of reasons and had been considering my future within the party very carefully," said Mr Ward. "I talked this matter over with my family in recent weeks and months and I now believe I would be better placed to represent the people of the Banbridge Council area as an Independent."

His statement continued, "As a councillor I was never given any real or meaningful support from Upper Bann Sinn Fein so my decision will in no way lessen the quality of representation I can give the people of the area. It will be very much business as usual."

Mr Ward went on to say how he had always been very much his "own man" and was "probably never really suited" to being a member of a party like Sinn Fein.

He added, "Over time, I lost any commitment and loyalty to the party I may have had and to have continued to stay within Sinn Fein would have been very unfair to both myself and to other party members.

"I would like to wish my former colleagues all the very best for the future and I now look forward to serving out the remainder of my term as an Independent. I will continue to give my absolulte best for the people I represent."

In 2007 Mr Ward narrowly missed out on taking a second seat in the Assembly for the party in Upper Bann and yesterday the Sinn Fein Upper Bann website yesterday still had a profile posted on Mr Ward, describing him as "championing a number of high profile" causes.

These, according to the website, included campaigns around social, economic and political issues, including the issue of equality for rural and nationalist areas of the district.

The website describes Mr Ward as a hard-working constituency worker who "continued the Sinn Fein battle for equality" this year when he overcame unionist efforts to block him from taking the position of vice-chair of the council's influential policy and resources committee.