Donal O’Cofaigh was elected in the Enniskillen DEA in 2019. He works as a Campaigns, Communications and Press Officer for Unite the Union in Northern Ireland. He lives in Belcoo.

Why did you get into politics?

I guess anyone growing up in Northern Ireland when I did could not avoid politics. I never planned on getting involved but since I got back from Cambridge I ended up spending my life at politics.

I believe where I’m at now is what is needed. Cross-community Labour politics: fighting to bring working-class people together and improve things, defending public services and protecting our environment.

Why should people vote for you?

I am committed to building a cross-community labour alternative to what we have at present – which is clearly failing, and offers no way forwards.

I am more a campaigner than a politician; most recently I have worked hard to build a cross-community campaign to defend local hospital services.

I am committed to defend the ‘Nye Bevan’ model of the NHS – as a locally-accessible public service free at the point of delivery paid for through progressive and universal taxation.

I want to see an audit of where all the NHS funds are going. How much is going to private profit, instead of to frontline services and frontline workers?

While health is my focus, there’s hardly been an issue where I haven’t challenged the status quo in the Council over the past four years.

READ MORE FROM COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN ENNISKILLEN: Fermanagh and Omagh District Council candidate: Eddie Roofe

What are the issues you will be fighting for in your DEA?

Aside from health issues, other issues in Enniskillen are making sure the bypass happens, ending the situation where raw sewage is allowed to casually overflow into the river Erne, finding alternative uses for the big ‘white elephants’ in the town, and fighting the threat to close play parks in the housing estates.

I will continue to fight to bring a public sector employment hub to bring higher-paid public sector jobs to the town.

What are the biggest issues facing the Council area?

I think the crisis in our health service is undoubtedly the biggest issue and of all the crises the fact that emergency and urgent surgery are no longer provided at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

Anyone in a life-threatening emergency is driven past our £712 million hospital, potentially for up to two and a half hours – and that’s after the ambulance finally arrives.

So, lives are at stake. But of course, Fermanagh is also the worst-hit area for many other aspects of the current NHS crisis – GPs, out of hours, ambulance cover.

Of course, it is not just about the services but about the jobs. The SWAH is our biggest employer; 1,600 people work there, and they sustain at least 2,000 jobs in the wider economy. If we lose the SWAH as an acute centre – and that is the risk – it will be devastating for our community.

READ MORE FROM COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN ENNISKILLEN: Fermanagh and Omagh District Council candidate: Jill Mahon

What are the issues the electorate have raised with you?

Health services and the cost of living crisis are the two big issues I’m getting. There is also near despair at what passes for politics in Stormont, and also anger towards the Westminster government.

How can we improve the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area?

The first thing is to secure commitments from either the Secretary of State or an incoming Health Minister for the full suite of acute services to be restored at the SWAH.

The longer it takes to secure that, the more services we may see collapse. Until then, we need to maintain our campaign.

Once we secure such a commitment, we then need to see action on the Five-Point Plan [prepared by the Save Our Acute Services campaign group] and the funding and human resources needed to make it happen.

If we get our hospital in that place, it will provide a firm basis for the wider economy.