Downpatrick Councillor Cadogan Enright resigns from the Alliance Party
Downpatrick Councillor Cadogan Enright has announced that he is resigning from the Alliance Party but remaining on Council as an Independent for the Downpatrick and Lecale area.
Councillor Enright has been a key player for Alliance in South Down elections and recently won the 2025 NI Local Government Association award for ‘Best Initiative by a Councillor’ for his book ‘How The Green Economy Can Fund Local Government.’
He said: “Today I have taken the difficult decision to resign from the Alliance Party. I will return to serving the people of my area as an independent councillor as I previously did for 10 years before joining the Alliance Party in South Down.
“When I joined Alliance, I did so because I firmly believed that Alliance was finally doing what was needed to establish themselves in rural nationalist areas such as ours.”
In 2022 Councillor Enright was Alliance Campaign Manager in the Assembly election when a historic breakthrough was made in South Down with a seat for the then Rowallane Councillor Patrick Brown. The following year the local Alliance team secured 5 council seats in the 2023 Local Government election including the re-election of Councillor Enright himself.
Councillor Enright added: “After Patrick Brown resigned as MLA, it became clear that the party leadership is stuck in a Stormont bubble. It seems to regard local representatives who authentically champion ‘bread and butter’ issues with suspicion.
“As an Alliance councillor, I am restricted from saying anything remotely supportive about the Downe hospital campaign and have been chastised for calling for the restoration of health services in Downpatrick that had been agreed under the ‘Transformation’ process.
“It seems the party is more comfortable with the extreme concentration of services in Belfast. I fear this demonstrates how out of touch the party is in the South and West of Northern Ireland, presumably where it hopes to elect MLA candidates one day.”
In recent months, Cllr Enright and his Alliance Council colleagues vociferously campaigned against proposals which would see the Council investing up to £80 million in what he as described as “wasteful, unnecessary projects”.
He said: “We have fought really hard against reckless SDLP and Sinn Fein plans to spend £50m on a Mournes Gondola and against a £30 million second council HQ in Newry.
“Alliance councillors in Newry Mourne and Down have had to fend for ourselves in these campaigns with no support from their Alliance Party HQ, despite sustained criticism from the bigger local parties – and I want to pay tribute to my exceptional Alliance council colleagues for their continued work and resilience in this regard.”
Councillor Enright argues that despite the hard work of several local councillors, representation from the central party has largely disappeared and long-standing constituency campaigns have been abandoned.
“I am now convinced that the party is no longer interested in retaining our South Down Assembly seat in 2027. I therefore feel I will be better able to represent my constituents and stand up for them on the issues that matter, as an Independent Councillor.”
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Cllr Enright’s Letter of Resignation to Party Leader Naomi Long
“Dear Naomi,
“I am writing to you to tender my resignation as an Alliance Party Councillor.
“I feel that for a number of reasons, which will be set out in a public statement I will make in due course, that I can no longer remain an Alliance Councillor and would better serve my Constituents in Newry, Mourne and Down as an Independent Councillor.
“Please advise if there are any formalities I need to action myself to compete this process.
“I am will also separately advise Marie Ward as Council Chief Executive of my decision.
“I have copied in Paula Bradshaw as Chief Whip and Jill Truesdale as local party leader for their attention.
“I wish you and the Alliance Party all the best for the future.”
“Yours,
“Cadogan Enright.”
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Alliance Responds To Enright Resignation.
A spokesperson for Alliance said that “It was regrettable that Councillor Enright did not take the opportunity to discuss this decision with the Party prior to this announcement.
“Alliance made history in the South Down constituency with our first ever progressive, cross-community MLA and returned a record number of councillors in the area in 2023.
“We are determined to build on that record and are committed to delivering for everyone across Newry Mourne and Down with a focus on inclusion, integrity and progressive politics.”
