Seamus is right, says Unionist former chairman

In a statement issued this week, the DUP’s Jim McElroy said if the Ulster Unionists had voted with SDLP and Sinn Fein, it would have resulted in Councillor Brendan Curran (SF) securing the vice-chairman post.

“Councillor Seamus Doyle is right this time,” said Mr McElroy, who served as council chairman the year before last. “Councillor Junior McCrum (the new DUP chairman) has said he would would have worked with him, but Councillor John Hanna (UU group leader) hammered the DUP all week behind the scenes and said they would allow Junior McCrum to take the chair of the council, only if Councillor Curran was the vice-chair.”

Mr McElroy claimied this was because it would prevent Councillor Hanna not having the Sinn Fein councillor as vice-chairman when it was the Ulster Unionists’ “turn” next year.

He added, “You shouldn’t ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.”

Last week the Leader reported how Banbridge’s unionist councillors have been accused of damaging the area’s reputation by refusing to back the selection of a Sinn Fein vice-chairman for the year ahead.

Mr Curran told the Leader that the failure of unionists to accept the package, “which would have given us the vice-chair this year” was a missed opportunity to show their commitment to a shared future and put Banbridge “on a par” with Craigavon Borough Council where unionists “teamed up” to ensure Sinn Fein did not take the Mayoral position.