Garbhan McPhillips is a current Erne East Councillor and lives in Lisnaskea. He is married to Claire and they have two children, Aurora (5), and Thomas (3), and he has been the SDLP councillor for the Erne East DEA for the past seven years.

Why did you get into politics?

I became involved in politics to be in a position where I could help people. Being in a position as a public representative is truly an honour and privilege, and extremely rewarding.

I love being able to help people in any way I can. Growing up, I was surrounded by politics, and it always seemed inevitable that I would some day become involved.

The McPhillips household is steeped in a tradition of local politics. I am a fourth-generation politician in our family.

Why should people vote for you?

I would encourage the people of Erne East to vote for me because I am a strong voice for every person in the area. I will fight for everyone that needs help with any issue. Whether you have voted for me in the past or not, or even [if you’ve not] voted at all, I will be here to represent you.

I will campaign for all the issues that are affecting us all living in south Fermanagh.

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

I will be fighting for all the issues that are affecting us all. One of my main focuses is to push for the start of construction for our new health centre in Lisnaskea.

The people of the area have waited for far too long on this and we need the work to begin ASAP.

I will also be lobbying the Department of Infrastructure for much-needed investment into our roads. Our roads at present are nothing short of disgraceful.

Over the past number of years mental health has become a major issue in all our communities; I will be pushing for much-needed funding for mental health provisions.

I will be a strong voice for the retention of all our schools in the district. Our rural schools are the heart and soul of the community, and I make it my aim to fight for each one of them throughout the area.

What are the biggest issues facing the Council area?

There are quite a few major issues affecting the Council area but if I was to put it simply, the state of our roads, our access to essential services (such as GP/hospital services) and the cost of living crisis [are main issues].

These issues are affecting everyone – not just in Fermanagh and Omagh, but throughout the North.

What are the issues the electorate have raised with you?

I am getting the same response on the doors. Our roads are not up to scratch. We can’t get adequate health care treatment, and on top of all that, the cost of living is causing major problems for families. The price of everything seems to be going up all the time, but people’s wages are not.

This is why we need a return to power-sharing in Government. Without a functioning government, there is no help to ease these issues and pressures. If everyone got back to work in Stormont, then things would potentially be better for us all.

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

The roads at present are a complete disgrace and to be fair, they have not got like that overnight. I feel much-needed investment in our roads network would highly improve the area.

On the jobs front, I do feel a major injection or creations of jobs is very much in order. For many many years now, this part of the North has been neglected in job investment and the creation of jobs.

We need some incentive to keep our young people here and raise a family here. For far too long we have been educating our children for them to have to move away to seek employment. This must be addressed, or our district will become more and more depleted and less populated.

We want everyone from here to stay here, and make their lives here.