Suspended councillor looks unlikely to return to Derry City and Strabane District Council

A councillor suspended from Derry City and Strabane District Council after he was convicted three times of drink-driving looks unlikely to return to the council chamber.

Derek Hussey, a councillor for the Ulster Unionist Party, was suspended from the local council for 15 months in July 2019.

His suspension was due to end this month.

However, both the UUP and Mr Hussey refused to comment when contacted by the Derry News in relation to whether he will be returning to his council role.

Mr Hussey, who was Deputy Mayor of the council in 2018/2019, was convicted of drink-driving on three separate occasions in 2004, 2011 and 2015.

He also served for a period as chair of the local Policing Community Safety Partnership.

However, he was suspended from the council by the Local Government Commissioner for Standards after the commissioner had received complaints from two Derry families who had loved ones killed by drunk drivers.

Robert Bradley died in Nottingham in December 2000.

He was 20-years-old and studying broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University. A drunk driver drove down a one-way street at speed, mounted the kerb and crashed into Robert.

Martin Gallagher (25) was knocked down and killed by a drunk driver at Racecourse Road in Derry in November 2009.

He was returning home after a Halloween night out.

The Bradley and Gallagher families had complained to the Local Government Commissioner for Standards that Mr Hussey was not fit to hold public office as a result of his drink-driving convictions.

In his ruling last year, the Acting Commissioner said he was not convinced Mr Hussey had demonstrated sufficient insight into the seriousness of his actions and the potential consequences for the public and the council.

After he was suspended, Mr Hussey's seat in the Derg constituency was taken by Andrew McKane through co-option.

The Derry News this week contacted the UUP to ask if Mr Hussey would be returning to the council now that his suspension period had ended.

However, a spokesperson for the party said they had no comment to make on the matter.

When contacted, Mr Hussey also said he had no comment to make.

Speaking to the Derry News today, Martin Gallagher's father, Martin senior, said he hoped that Mr Hussey would not be returning to his council position.

Mr Gallagher said he and the Bradley family had asked Mr Hussey to meet with them but he had declined to do so.