Three-shot Poll For May Elections

The North of Ireland will go to the polls again on May 5th for both the election to the Stormont Assembly and to local councils - and to vote in a national plebiscite.

Northern Ireland Office Minister of State Hugo Swire has announced that he intends to bring forward legislation to hold the next district council elections in Northern Ireland on May 5, 2011 and it may be ever busier as it is likely that a referendum on the proposed Alternative Vote system will also be held on this date - but only if legislation currently before the Westminster Parliament is passed.

"I appreciate that this will present unique logistical challenges.

"However, I am satisfied that the practical risks can be managed and my officials will liaise closely with the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission to ensure the identification and early resolution of any potential problems," the NIO Minister said.

The Postponement of Local Elections (Northern Ireland) Order 2009 postponed the local elections due to take place in Northern Ireland in 2009 until 2011 as this was in anticipation of wide ranging changes to the number of NI local councils - a proposal that has since been shelved for the immediate future as no agreement could be reached on the changes needed by Stormont MLAs.

Legacy

Meanwhile, in other political developments, a DUP delegation has met with the Secretary of State Owen Paterson at Stormont House.

Leader and First Minister, Peter Robinson, Edwin Poots MLA, Jimmy Spratt MLA, Michelle McIlveen MLA and Jonathan Bell MLA discussed issues that included dealing with the legacy of the past.

Peter Robinson said: "The legacy of Northern Ireland's past is something that needs to be dealt with in a way that can ensure maximum support across the community."

He said that the "back-lash" against some of the proposals contained within the Eames-Bradley Report showed that any attempt to create parity between innocent victims and those who engaged in illegal criminal activity will not command the support of the greater number of people in Northern Ireland.

"The DUP made it very clear to the Secretary of State that any process for dealing with the past must have at its heart recognition that there is no moral equivalence between innocent victims and perpetrators," he said.

See: Poots Suspends Council Transition Committees

(BMcC/GK)