Carla Lockhart said:

“We have had a good day in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, with the party increasing our overall seats by 2. We will use our increased seat count to deliver more for our community, and to be an even stronger and more effective voice within the ABC Council Chamber. We thank everyone who voted DUP last Thursday.

In Portadown DEA, our first class DUP candidates – Lavelle McIlwrath, Kyle Moutray and Alan Mulholland – delivered an outstanding result. Our first preference vote figure has increased by around 10 per cent on our 2019 figure. This is a reflection on our excellent candidates. Both Lavelle and Kyle have been first rate representatives, with a strong track record of delivery. It is fantastic to welcome our newly elected Councillor Alan Mulholland to the DUP team, who I know Alan will be a very effective addition to this very strong DUP team in Portadown.

Across in Craigavon, it came as no surprise to see such a huge vote for my colleague Margaret Tinsley. Margaret is a tireless and very passionate advocate for her constituents, who delivers so much for the people of Craigavon. I am delighted that this has been recognised. It is deeply regrettable that her running mate, Ian Patterson, was unsuccessful despite a very encouraging first preference vote. I trust that Ian will be back again in the future as he has a great heart for this community and has a lot to offer.

The DUP will be straight back to work now that the election is over, and we have a range of issues picked up during our canvassing of the area that will be actioned. We are here to deliver on the ground, improving lives and improving communities, and we will continue to work hard for you.

We will also seek to progress outstanding issues with the Protocol, to restore cross community consent that can enable us to re-enter the devolved institutions. The Government, despite doing their best to decimate the DUP vote, must now recognise that Unionism stands with the DUP and their response will be key to restoring Stormont. They can act now, or they can continue to dither and delay. They should step up now with solutions.”