Stewart DICKSON

Stewart Dickson has lived in the East Antrim area all his life. He served on Carrickfergus Borough Council from 1977-81 and 1985 to present and was a popular Mayor of the Borough from 1992-93.

Stewart is Alliance Party Deputy Whip (Local Government) and Party Treasurer. He is also Chair of East Antrim Alliance Constituency Association.

Married, his wife Sandra is also an active member of the Alliance Party in East Antrim. Stewart is a Senior Employment Relations Officer at the Labour Relations Agency and is a Branch Chair in the NIPSA Trade Union.

A strong representative voice for the community, Stewart Dickson has been an elected Councillor for over 25 years and represents constituents from all over East Antrim in a variety of tribunals.

He is a leading voice of the people on planning issues, a campaigner for open spaces, improved roads and infrastructure, and a passionate supporter of the fight to introduce third party rights of appeal in planning applications.

As a long time Trade Union representative and committed Alliance Party member, Stewart has taken the lead in anti-sectarian campaigns in the workplace and the community, working with groups such as Counteract, ICTU, and the Peace People.

A local youth leader, Stewart is Captain of 1st Greenisland BB Company and a member of Knockagh Youth Club Management Committee. Stewart is fully aware of the needs and requirements of young people in the Community, and committed to the fight against drugs. He runs a successful drugs awareness course in the Boys Brigade.

As a School Governor of Central Primary, Carrickfergus and Silverstream Primary, Greenisland Stewart is aware of the pressures on teachers to achieve results.

He is a former Member of the North Eastern Education and Library Board and the Northern Health and Social Services Board.

Stewart is Vice Chair of the Carrickfergus District Policing Partnership and Chair of a local family charity, Homestart, in Carrickfergus. He attends Greenisland Presbyterian Church.

Stewart's experience of the work of the Council includes being Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. His knowledge of the needs of the area and proven concern for all the people who live in it make him an excellent public representative.

He is well known throughout the East Antrim Area as an effective campaigner on planning, roads and environmental issues, such as recycling and waste reduction. He also campaigned for and was successful in saving the Green Belt around Greenisland.

Stewart Dickson is a Winston Churchill Fellow (1999).