Kellie Armstrong MLA
Kellie Armstrong is an MLA for the Strangford constituency after contesting and winning the seat vacated by party colleague Kieran McCarthy. A native of the Peninsula area, she has held positions of vice chair of the Alliance Party and chair of the Strangford Alliance Association and built up track record of success as a councillor for more than three years.
Outline your background and career to date.
My business life has moved from my early career in advertising and marketing (GCAS advertising, Downtown Radio and Anderson Spratt Group) to the community and voluntary sector. I managed Peninsula Community Transport and then North Belfast Community Transport before becoming the Development Officer for NI with the CTA (Community Transport Association). In less than two years with CTA, I was promoted to the role of Director for Northern Ireland, delivering legal, technical and operational advice and support for member organisations delivering socially necessary transport solutions. As part of this role I provided advice for government on strategic and legislative transport issues. I resigned from CTA in April 2016 to concentrate full time on politics and the Assembly elections.
I was co-opted on to Ards Borough Council in 2013 to replace Kieran McCarthy, who had stepped down from Council as part of the Alliance Party commitment to voluntarily end double jobbing. I was elected to Ards and North Down Borough Council in 2015.
What inspired you to get into local politics?
I first became involved in politics after opposing the closure of two rural playgrounds on the Ards Peninsula. I was aghast that the local Council did not see the merit in providing safe playing areas for rural children.
Thankfully I was supported by Kieran McCarthy who was the only local councillor who worked with me to save both playgrounds. Kieran invited me along to meet his Alliance colleagues at a meeting in Ards Town Hall. From then I joined the party and became active in my local association. I had never intended becoming publically political but the more I became involved I realised the more I wanted to work to improve the lives and well-being of everyone in our community. I stood for election in 2011 coming sixth in a five-seat Ards Peninsula area. Losing did not put me off and I worked extremely hard within my community to provide solutions. I was extremely proud to stand again for election in 2014 and win the Ards Peninsula seat.
What are the main challenges facing your switch from councillor to MLA?
After a number of years working two jobs for both CTA and as a councillor, I am enjoying be able to concentrate on one role. I am able to deal with constituent issues directly, quickly and have more time to consider wider issues that impact constituents across the whole Strangford area. My councillor role was concerned with one council area and specifically on one DEA within that Council. As MLA I am concerned with my own constituency that comprises parts of four councils (Ards and North Down, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Belfast and Newry, Mourne and South Down Councils), and working for the benefit of the whole of Northern Ireland.
Moving to MLA means working for constituents from a wider geographical area. I am quite lucky in that I know my constituency well having gone to school in Ballynahinch and providing transport services across the whole area. For many people, the move from councillor to MLA could be challenging because we now work with legislation. My work in CTA meant I read EU, GB, NI and RoI legislative papers on a regular basis. I am looking forward to the new challenge because I have the skills and experience that will enable me to deliver a great service for the people of Northern Ireland.
How influential as an MLA can you be with your party outside if the Executive and official opposition?
While Alliance may not sit at the Executive table we each hold seats on departmental committees. Also Trevor Lunn MLA is on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and I am the deputy chair of the Audit Committee. Alliance is freed from the constraints of Executive office and can freely challenge government to ensure it is working to achieve the very best for Northern Ireland.
I have been selected as the Alliance spokesperson on infrastructure and sit on the infrastructure committee. I am probably the most qualified and experienced politician sitting on that committee given my background in transport policy and legislation. Alliance has allocated each MLA based on their skills and knowledge. This means we each are on the ground running with the ability and experience to take forward a progressive and impressive agenda.
I have also lodged a private members bill on Integrated Education. Naomi Long when in Westminster has already proven that you do not need to be the Government to effect changes. Her work on publication of political donations proves how much one can achieve. Imagine what eight Alliance MLAs free from Executive constraints will achieve.
What are your key priorities for Strangford?
Strangford comprises the longest coastline of all constituencies across Northern Ireland. My priority is to ensure the effects of coastal erosion does not negatively impact the lives of the people who live there. In the last mandate, the Government ignored coastal erosion and two roads were washed away by the sea. In this mandate I will be fighting to ensure the Government stops referring to the outdated Bateman Principle and actually invests in appropriate coastal defences and a long term coastal management strategy.
As with all constituencies, there is an issue of lack of local employment in Strangford. Too many of our young adults leave the area to find work and never return. This has the impact of a population that is older than other areas, a lack of local services and investment into regeneration opportunities has been sporadic. I intend addressing this by working with the Assembly and local government to create opportunities for business and investment.
Strangford has the most beautiful scenery and people and I believe that is our key to unlocking a successful and sustainable future for the area. Tourism and tourism growth will be key for Strangford for the next decade. I will work with local groups to ensure training in tourism including World Host is available for local small businesses. I will be looking to the new community planning to ensure there is appropriate partnership working to achieve development of tourism opportunities that will create jobs and improve the local economy.
One of my key election promises was to ensure children and adults with learning disabilities and particularly people with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) would have improved services. I have already started to push both the Departments of Health and Education on this issue.
What are my interests outside of work?
I am a mum to a wonderful daughter who I provide taxi for many evenings and weekends when I am not working. I am the volunteer chair of a small but brilliant charity called Kinship Care NI. The charity was founded to provide support for children whose parents are not around and who are being cared for by grandparents, aunts, uncles or other close relatives or friends. A great group who collect donations, fundraise and help support the work of a team of wonderful individuals who provide daily support to so many families across Northern Ireland.
I love church mosaics (my degree was in Byzantine Studies). If and when possible my family and I travel to former Byzantine lands where we visit dimly lit medieval churches much to my daughter’s absolute horror.
Having lost my mum as a young adult I consider time with family extremely precious. As some point, most weekends, we visit my dad or my husband’s family.
