Ballymena Councillor John Hyland with Alliance Party colleague North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland.
Alliance Ballymena Councillor John Hyland has said it has been an honour and privilege to serve people of the local area, as he announced he will be stepping down from the role.
Councillor Hyland said a change in personal circumstances meant he would be returning to his native Liverpool, with September’s meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council being his last.
Alliance’s local association will select a replacement in the coming weeks.
“It is with deep regret I made the decision to step down from the role of Ballymena Councillor,” said John.
“It has been a privilege to serve the people of the local community and it was one of the greatest honours of my life to have constituents return me as Councillor in the local election in May. It has meant so much to me to be welcomed to Mid and East Antrim since making it as my home a number of years ago.
“However, there have been a series of unforeseen personal events which have left me to make the very difficult decision to move home and be closer to my family in Liverpool. This means I, unfortunately, can no longer continue in the role of Alliance Councillor.
"I have made real connections with many local organisations and people, and hope to stay in contact to help in whichever way I can with the amazing community work going on in the Ballymena area.
“I also hope Mid and East Antrim Borough Council can continue its trajectory to become a more openly progressive and diverse place to work and live, which Alliance is fully committed to achieving. I will do all I can to help my replacement work towards this goal as well.”
Alliance North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland said she was disappointed to lose John from the local team but wished him well in his move.
"I know John has taken his time to come to this difficult decision and while I am deeply disappointed to be losing him from the team of Alliance elected representatives in North Antrim, I know he is doing what is best for him and his family.
"John has been an incredible source of energy throughout his time as Councillor, playing a crucial role in growing the strong local Alliance team here. That was reflected in our recent great Council Election results, which came as the result of the hard work of John and others.
"I wish him all the best in his move back to Liverpool and look forward to working with his successor to continue the Alliance successes in North Antrim.”