Older people make their voices heard

The Lisburn and Castlereagh Pensioners Parliament took place recently with around 60 older people from the council area taking part.

The parliament, organised by Age Sector Platform and supported by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, was held at Lagan Valley Island and was opened by councillor Uel Mackin, Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

The parliament was the last of eleven local parliaments which have taken place across the Province since March; one being held in each council area in Northern Ireland.

The parliament featured interactive voting, discussion and Q&A with panels of local Councillors, MLAs and policy experts.

Councillors answering questions on the day included Hazel Legge (UUP), Tim Morrow (Alliance) and Scott Carson (DUP).

During the afternoon, questions from the floor were directed at an ‘expert panel’ made up of MLAs Robbie Butler, Pat Catney and Paul Givan, alongside Linda Johnston from the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and Inspector Nigel Roland from the PSNI.