Hunter hands in East Derry nomination papers

She was speaking as she submitted her nomination forms at Derry’s Guildhall recently.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the MLA for East Derry and I’m hoping I will receive the backing of the electorate in May so I can carry on working on behalf of the local community,” she said.

“Since becoming an MLA in 2020 I have engaged with local people and done everything within my power to bring the issues that matter to them into the Assembly. We’ve achieved much by working together, but there is still so much to do.

“We still need to fight for proper investment to bring jobs and opportunity to this area, push for reform to our health service to cut huge waiting lists and provide proper mental health provision, revitalise our crumbling education system, address the lack of social and affordable housing by ramping up our building programme and utilising vacant properties and tackle the climate crisis while ensuring a just transition for rural communities.

“The number one issue affecting people in East Derry is the soaring cost of food, fuel and energy bills. Our communities are in a state of emergency with many families struggling to put food on the table, petrol in their cars and heat their homes. People who are out working day and night to provide for their families are being left with nothing in their pockets and it just isn’t good enough.

“As an MLA I have always put people in this area first. We need to see as many SDLP MLAs returned as possible following this election so that we can tackle the issues impacting people in East Derry and right across the North in their everyday lives. We need to move away from a brand of politics that delivers for political parties and their own self-interests and focus on improving the lives of people in our communities.”