SINN Féin’s Danny Baker was first co-opted onto Belfast City Council in 2017 to replace David Bell. Subsequently, he was re-elected in 2019 topping the poll in Colin and went on to serve as Lord Mayor following the election of John Finucane as MP for North Belfast.
 
Now, with just days to go until the Assembly election, Danny has his eyes on a seat at Stormont where he hopes he can continue to deliver for the people of West Belfast if elected.
 
Sitting down with the Andersonstown News, Danny set out his vision for the constituency.
 
“Investing in our health service, creating new and better jobs, delivering more social and affordable housing and providing a world class education for children and young people are my priorities,” he said.
 
“This is an exciting time for West Belfast with enormous opportunities on the horizon and I will do all that I can to maximise these opportunities to benefit families and workers. 
 
“Sinn Féin want to invest an extra £1 billion in our health service over the next three years to recruit more doctors and nurses, fund cancer and mental health services and ensure people can see a GP when they need one. 
 
“I want to work with others to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds from Stormont and get it out into the pockets of workers and families to help with the cost of living crisis.”
 
Five years since initially entering the political arena, Danny was keen to share how he has worked to deliver for the people of the area as well as his work in the fight against climate change.

“Through the pandemic I was part of the Sinn Féin team on Belfast City Council which unlocked hundreds of thousands of pounds to support local community groups in the delivery of food parcels and other essentials at what was a very difficult time for many workers and families,” he continued.

“I also worked to make our roads safer by successfully campaigning and securing investment of £500,000 for new safety measures at McKinstry roundabout. I have no doubt that these measures will save lives. 
 
“At a local level, I have been working with residents to campaign for the closure of the Mullaghglass landfill site which creates a foul odour which plagues the local community. I will continue to support the right of local residents to live in a clean environment and to enjoy good air quality.
 
“The Assembly recently passed much-needed climate change legislation which commits us to ambitious emissions reduction targets, bringing us into line with the rest of Ireland. I want to play my part in seeing this legislation implemented so that our communities can enjoy the benefits of a cleaner and greener world.”
 
Like most candidates in this election, Danny is all too aware of the detrimental impact that the current cost of living crisis is having on voters.

When asked how he would ensure that families in West Belfast can afford to put food on the table and pay their bills, he responded: “Sinn Féin has a plan to put £300 million in the pockets of workers and families. I want to work with others to get £230 pound out to every household across the north to help with the current cost of living crisis.
 
“Sinn Féin has been calling on the British government to remove tax on home heating oil; reduce tax on diesel and petrol; cut VAT on energy bills during the energy crisis; reverse red diesel rebate changes and introduce a tax on the large profits of energy companies and redirecting the money to support workers and families.”
 
With opinion polls suggesting that Sinn Féin will return to the Assembly as the largest party, Danny makes it clear that he wants to work with the other parties to deliver for those who elect him.
 
“Leading an agenda for real progressive change is my priority but this can only be done if there is genuine commitment to progress and power-sharing from all parties,” he said.
 
“I hope other parties will respect and uphold democracy and commit to working with us in delivering real change for workers and families and for communities right across the North.”
 
Polling stations will open at 7am on Thursday 5 May. We will have live updates from the count centre on our website and social media pages throughout Friday 6 May.