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The proposed seven-council plan will take the ‘local’ element out of local government, East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis has warned.

The MLA says that the term super council is a misnomer as it will be far from ‘super’ for the people living in the areas presently served by Coleraine Borough area and Limavady District Council.

“This carve up of areas of the Province will be detrimental to the effective governance of local areas which have been well served by local councils since 1973 when the last major re-organisation took place.

“Seven councils will ensure that we lose more of our identity and the dilution of representation to a smaller number of councillors fighting a case for a smaller area within the new council will be much less effective.

“While I welcome the additional powers new councils will receive I believe that we are better served by 15 councils or at worst 11.

“Can a Councillor from Coleraine know what is good for Broughshane or a Larne representative be in a position to decide what is best for Portballintrae? The same is true in the proposed North West council which stretches from Downhill to Tyrone.

“Sadly, unless a functioning Assembly decides otherwise, this is what we are about to receive as considerable preparatory work on the seven council model has already been undertaken over the past 12 months.

“The new councils are due to be fired up in 2009 and perhaps operating in shadow mode by 2008.

“The other key question is where would the headquarters of such a new council meet?

A child will be seriously injured if sick vandals intent on ruining one of Coleraine’s most popular play parks are not apprehended, an MLA has warned.

East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis is calling on the public to help catch whoever is responsible for concealing broken bottles in the Anderson’s Park play area just off the town centre.

Mr. Hillis was reacting to news that the park has been has been targeted for a second time in a short period of time.

He said: “This is the work of some despicable person or persons who are evil personified and in their own perverse way want to cause hurt to young children using the facility for enjoyment.

“I am appalled at how low those responsible have stooped. Last week it was a blade embedded in the seat of a swing, now broken glass has been hidden in the soft barked area which surrounds the equipment in the park.

“These are the actions of warped minds and I would urge parents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity in the park. There are a number of apartments overlooking the park and I would ask residents to also keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in the park.

“The amenity is widely used and if the culprits are not caught then I fear that a youngster is going to be seriously injured.”

Mr. Hillis joined the police in praising the alertness of the Council’s park warden.

East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis has expressed his shock
at the death of a man at the water treatment works construction site at
Portrush on Friday.

The MLA and Euro MP Jim Nicholson visited the new water treatment facility
at Roselick Road between Portrush and Portstewart just a few hours before
the tragedy at the nearby Dhu Varren pumping station and he has expressed
his sympathy to the family of the deceased.

He said: “I was totally shocked and stunned when I learned of the news on
Friday afternoon.

“I had accompanied Jim Nicholson on a tour of the new £45m site in the early
afternoon and also to the pumping station at Lansdowne Crescent before the
tragedy occurred.

“It was dreadful news and I wish to express my condolences to the family of
the man who died.”

Mr. Hillis paid tribute to those who had responded so quickly when the alarm
was raised after the man fell into a large concrete holding tank at the site
off the Portstewart Road.

East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis says the loss of two lives in a car accident near Portrush is another sad chapter in the tragic tale of death on Ulster’s roads.

The Portrush Councillor said: “Like everyone else I have been shocked to learn of this accident on a stretch of road that has claimed lives in the past.

“Any life lost on our roads is one life too many and causes heartbreak and pain to those who are left behind mourning the loss of a loved one.

“I take this opportunity to extend my sympathy to the families of those who have been affected by this tragedy and hope that those who were injured can make a full recovery.”

East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis has raised his concern over the future of Castle Erin in Portrush.

The MLA claims that staff at the guesthouse and conference centre have been told it is to close in the near future.

Mr. Hillis said: “Castle Erin has been part and parcel of the fabric of Portrush for decades, offering accommodation and providing employment for many local people.

“The staff, which is relatively small in number, have been told they are to lose their jobs and no-one is certain what the future holds for the facility which has served the resort so well down the years.

“Whether it will remain in its present form or fall into the hands of developers remains a concern to local people.”

CCTV is one of the most effective ways of preventing crime and helping the police catch those who persist in criminal activity and street violence in this area, East Londonderry UUP MLA Norman Hillis believes.

The provision of CCTV cameras in Portstewart and additional cameras in Portrush and Coleraine has been welcomed by the local Assembly member.

Mr. Hillis said news of the investment by the Government was an important step in the battle against crime but warned that it was vitally important that funding was set aside to maintain the new cameras in future years.

“I whole-heartedly endorse the additional cameras in the Triangle area as security experts and the police have compiled impressive reports which highlight the success of CCTV and I know from previous experiences how useful they have been in bringing criminals to justice.

The rise in crime and anti-social behaviour is a concern to all decent minded people. We all want to be able to walk the streets of our towns without fear of attack or intimidation.

“The business community has the right to have this type of effective additional protection for their commercial properties.”

He added: “Additional CCTV coverage will give the public extra reassurance that they can go about their daily business with increased confidence.

“People often feel safer in the knowledge that CCTV is being operated effectively in the areas within which they live and work.

“We must be certain though that there is a sufficient level of future funding available to sustain the level of cover. This has been a difficulty in the past.”

Norman Hillis, the Ulster Unionist spokesperson for European Issues, has warmly welcomed new European Union rules on wearing seat belts which came into force in the UK on Monday 18 September.

The new rules include a requirement that children under 135cm tall and under the age of 12 must use child seats appropriate to their height and weight.

Mr Hillis said, “While these new rules mean that many families will be obliged to purchase child seats where before they would have not, it seems a small price to pay for the peace of mind it will provide.

“The average child reaches 135cm tall by the time they are nine years old but below this height they are not protected by using an adult seat belt. Indeed using an adult seat belt can actually cause more damage in the case of an accident.

“The strap over the shoulder will in most cases obstruct the face of a small child while the strap around the waist is unsuitable to protect the ribs.”

While Mr Hillis was enthusiastic about the new rules he also encouraged the European Commission to consider regulations to promote safety features during car design.

“While these new rules are very much welcome, with the alarming numbers of people dying on the roads, - more than 90 people have perished on Northern Ireland’s roads so far this year - I feel that more can still be done.

“Safer car design can drastically reduce the effect of road crashes: safer vehicle fronts can reduce the potential of injury to pedestrians; increased safety features can protect passengers involved in accidents; I call on the European Commission to implement directives which tighten up the regulations regarding car design and reduce the numbers European families who have to suffer the loss of loved ones.”

Plans to build a £30m hotel complex on the outskirts of Portrush have been described as a massive shot in the arm for North Coast tourism.

Norman Hillis, vice chairman of the regional tourism partnership, the Causeway Coast and Glens Ltd, believes the investment would be a huge “vote of confidence” in the popular resort.

The East Londonderry UUP Assembly member added: “I welcome this announcement at a time when we are exploring ways of encouraging more business people to consider investing in one of the Province’s major tourist regions.

“For too many years we have been losing hotels and guest house accommodation along the North Coast. The resulting loss in bed spaces has been a concern and it has precipitated the need to seek investors who are willing to provide top quality facilities for visitors whether in the tourist sector or in business conferencing.

“Portrush and its close proximity to the Giant’s Causeway, is a mecca for visitors and we want to be in the position of offering them more top quality accommodation.

“The tourism and leisure market is expanding rapidly and the area needs to be in a strong position to compete with other areas of Northern Ireland and the Republic.”

Mr. Hillis said that developing the golf holiday potential is another important element in this area, adding that plans are already underway to provide a top class hotel in the Coleraine area specifically geared towards golfing holidays and aimed initially at the North American market.

Commenting on the Portrush project he also said: “The fact that the proposed four-star Cloughorr House Hotel on a nine-acre site off Bushmills Road would provide around 100 jobs is another welcome aspect of the development announced for the existing Kellys site.

“This is positive news for the local area and I welcome it.”

East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis has expressed his astonishment that DUP MP Gregory Campbell would countenance anyone with convictions for terrorism or criminality joining the policing service.

Mr. Hillis said Mr. Campbell’s statement that criminals should be considered for the police “if repentant” marked an amazing U-turn by the East Londonderry MP.

Mr. Hillis added: “Is this part of the “new deal” promised by the DUP three years ago but not delivered?

“Maybe we should not be surprised at this statement especially now that the DUP policy seems to be to take a Ministerial seat from the UUP and hand it over to Sinn Fein.

“Does Gregory Campbell really think it is permissible for terrorists who have ‘repented’, to put on uniforms and police the very people and places they have previously terrorised? This would never be acceptable.

“Do Mr. Campbell’s remarks indicate the DUP’s private thinking? Does it form part of the price for the deal they are cooking up with Sinn Fein to return to Government?

East Londonderry UUP Assembly member Norman Hillis is encouraging more local people to make a stand against the Government’s new rates evaluations.

Mr. Hillis, who has criticised the method of assessment as nothing more than an excuse to burden ratepayers with more taxes, says many people are now beginning to realize that they are going to be hit hard by new bills in the coming year.

He says: “Without a restored Assembly at Stormont the Government is intent on squeezing as much as it can out of the Ulster public in additional taxes which many people cannot meet.

“These new rates, coming as they will on top of the extra water rates levies will force considerable numbers of householders into financial hardship.

“Remember the Secretary of State Peter Hain has said that people in Northern Ireland ‘don’t pay their way’ as he announced a 19% rise in the regional rate. In reality the regional rate has now risen by 85% over the last seven years.

“We are all paying a high price for Direct Rule and if devolution is not restored by November then we will all be faced with this kind of ruthless taxation for years to come.”

Mr. Hillis is calling on the public to voice their anger at the rates increases before the Government consultation period expires. The lessons of the mass campaigns against the Poll Tax in Britain in the early 90s are clear, he says.

“If we do not make our objections heard then we have no hope of forcing a re-think on a system which is penalizing many householders.

“Direct Rule is proving painful and it is not in the best interests of the people of this Province. We are now facing huge increases in rates, our education system is in crisis while there seems to be little improvement in the health service with staff still under chronic pressure to cope.”

Mr. Hillis maintains that only local representatives can deal effectively with these issues: “Hard decisions have always got to be taken in government but it is preferable to have these decisions taken by people who are elected here in Northern Ireland than by part time Ministers from the mainland who have little or no empathy with the Ulster people.”

He adds: “Of course, before any future Assembly is reconvened, we must be fully satisfied that the climate for self governance is right and that all elected representatives are free of involvement in terrorism and criminality.

“However, the clock is ticking and time is running short. It is the people who are suffering in the vacuum that currently exists.”