Election expenses of 80 candidates made public

Election expenses of 80 candidates made public

28 June 2023

THE expenses of the 80 candidates who contested last month’s local government elections have been formally published this week by Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

The summary of the election expenses provides a detailed breakdown of all the candidates’ spending in the seven district electoral areas which include Downpatrick, Rowallane, Slieve Croob and The Mournes.

None of the Green Party candidates claimed any election expenses.

In Downpatrick, the top spender was Alliance’s Cadogan Enright (£1,266.73) who spent just over £50 more than former Sinn Fein councillor Éamonn Mac Con Midhe who stood as an Independent, but failed to secure one of the five seats up for grabs.

Elsewhere in the DEA, Sinn Fein’s Philip Campbell spent £909.13, with party colleague Oonagh Hanlon, spending £899.68.

Both were elected, but Louise Rooney who was hoping to help Sinn Fein claim three seats in Downpatrick for the first time missed out. Her election expenditure was £889.73.

Election expenses for the three SDLP candidates was Gareth Sharvin (£898.37), Aurla King  £840.94) and Conor Galbraith (£801.74).

Mr Sharvin and mr Galbraith were both elected.

The figures reveal the election spend of the other candidates was:  Alexander Burgess — UUP (£905.35); Sharon Harvey — DUP (£603.24); Declan Walsh — Green Party (£0).

In Rowallane, the top spender was Sinn Fein’s Dermot Kennedy (£1,385.84) who failed to get elected.

The second highest spender in the DEA was the SDLP’s Terry Andrews (£1,279.44) with the DUP’s Jonny Jackson (£1,030) the third highest.

The figures for the remaining Rowallane candidates were: Callum Bowsie — DUP (£,1,019,33), Rachel Gracey — UUP (£1,013.74), Robert Burgess — UUP (£857.74), David Lee-Surginor — Alliance (£949.16) and Tierna Kelly, also Alliance (£865.52). Ali McCall — Green Party (£0).

The top spender in Slieve Croob was the DUP’s Alan Lewis (£1,330) who also topped the poll.

The second and third highest spenders were Aontú’s Rosemary McGlone (£1,319.52) and the UUP’s Walter Lyons (£1,001.60) respectively.

The figures for the remaining Slieve Croob candidates were: Andrew McMurray — Alliance (£984), Jim Brennan — Sinn Fein (£921.07), Hugh Gallagher — SDLP (£960.38), Roísín Howell — Sinn Fein (£893.33), Siobhan O’Hare — Sinn Fein (£879.11). The Green Party’s Ali McColl claimed no expenses.

In the Mournes where 11 candidates were chasing the seven seats up for grabs, the top spender was the Ulster Unionist’s Lloyd Douglas (£1,692.30) who failed to get elected.

The second and third highest spenders in this DEA were the DUP’s Henry Reilly (£1,062) and Sinn Fein’s Leeanne McEvoy (£1,041.56) respectively.

Elsewhere, Alliance’s Jill Truesdale spent (£1,287.37) and Sinn Fein’s Willie Clarke spent £1,102.69, with the TUV’s Harold McKee spending £1,023.

The remaining candidates election expenditure were: Dominic O’Reilly — SDLP (£975.94), Laura Devlin — SDLP (£953.43), Glyn Hanna — DUP (£964) and Michael Rice — Sinn Fein (£922.42). The Green Party’s Sean O Baoill spent nothing on election expenses.

The top expenses claimers in the Crotlieve, Newry and Slieve Gullion areas were Independent Jarlath Tinnelly (£1,547.20), Aontú’s Sharon Loughran (£1,528.22) and Aontú’s Liam Reichenberg (£1,706.71) respectively.

Copies of the election expenses can be viewed at the local authority headquarters in Downpatrick from Monday to Friday between 10am ands 4pm until the end of June next year.

See full table of election candidates’ expenses on P53.