The Alliance Party have gained their first ever Councillor in Fermanagh as Eddie Roofe was elected to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on the fifth count.

Newly elected Councillor Roofe was elected with 1257.8 votes alongside Sinn Féin's Tommy Maguire (1,135).

Councillor Roofe said to get it over the line in "the style we did" was fantastic and he was "over the moon" to be the first ever Alliance Councillor in Fermanagh.

"It's a real honour. As I say the party has been around for 50 years. We have members in Fermanagh who have been lifelong members and never dreamed of thinking we'd have an Alliance representative on the Fermanagh side of the Council.

"It's absolutely incredible to be that person. It's an honour to represent those people who slogged for 50 years to try and get representatives here and to get it over the line today is just fantastic."

 

Councillor Roofe said national issues were what those on the doors spoke to him about such as the lack of an Assembly and the problems in healthcare.

"People are fed up and seeing inaction in the Assembly has just led to ever-increasing waiting lists and people are increasingly getting frustrated by that," he said adding that addressing issues at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) will be one of his main priorities. 

With Sinn Féin having a strong election, Councillor Roofe believes there has been a "consolidation of Nationalism" but feels there is an ever-increasing moderate centre ground.

"It's the responsibility of us as Alliance representatives to show what a moderate centre ground policies and politics can provide for people."