SDLP Colin candidate Gerard McDonald is confident he's in the running for a seat in the upcoming Belfast City Council elections this May.
 
Gerard’s association with the SDLP started back in 2011 – when he was still at school.
 
“I grew up in Twinbrook and even from the Good Friday Agreement West Belfast was at the top of the league for all the lows, even now with the housing crisis, child poverty crisis and the lack of funding available in areas that it is most vitally needed, like the mental health services. The life expectancy in the Colin area is five years lower than that of the average for men in the North and three years lower for women."
 
He said his biggest belief is his labour values.

"It doesn’t matter what flag is above the City Hall, if people don’t have food on their tables, heat in their homes and enough to live on, not just survive. It is important to make sure that people’s standards of living are met across the board from housing list waiting times to education.” 
 
Gerard is debuting at the polls as a council candidate this May and is desperate to change Colin for the better but admits that he is ready to fight in order to make progress. He is hoping to carry on the mantle of party colleague Brian Heading who has stepped down from the council.

“There is obviously a serious issue regarding anti-social behaviour in the area, but I am not going to just make it seem like they are criminals, which is sometimes how these reports come off. It is a small minority of people and if elected I plan to improve the investment efforts that are made into youth services in the area and oppose the cuts that are planned in Stormont to give people alternatives than just loitering in a park or street. Engagement with young people is vital for our future.
 
“We have seen a decade of austerity from the Tories, but we also saw real welfare reform from the leading parties in Stormont, including several benefit caps – the two-child cap on families comes to mind. We have seen an eight per cent increase in rates along with a bedroom tax which we were told would not be implemented here, but it was. We have seen a mitigation payment for the bedroom tax, but I will advocate for the mitigation payment to cover the child benefit’s cap. The housing list is also a major point on my manifesto – no one should ever have to wait a year or more to be given a place to live in 2023.”

Colin DEA
2Gallery

Colin DEA


 

Mr McDonald added that roads are an issue that he wants to tackle if elected.
 

“I want to make sure that the lack of road works in the area is something that is addressed," he said. "How can people be expected to trust a council or a government if they cannot get the basics right? The area is covered in potholes, and I know so many people who have burst tyres, and wrecked parts of their cars due to the state of the roads in Twinbrook, Lagmore and Poleglass.

"Some work has begun, but overall, it is not enough, and I feel that it would be a perfect starting point for me to get things done and show my value to the people within the area. I want them to feel that I am a candidate they can trust.”