Appointments of four councillors and one non councillor to the Board of Libraries NI

After an open competition the following four new councillor members have been appointed to the board, for a term of appointment, from 1 November 2019 until the date of the next local council elections:

• Cllr Alistair Cathcart
• Cllr Glen Finlay
• Cllr Cara Hunter
• Cllr Cheryl Johnston

One new non councillor member has been appointed to the Libraries NI Board from 1 November 2019 until 31 October 2023:

• Miss Linda Wilson

Notes to editors: 

Notes to editors:

1. The primary duty of the Northern Ireland Library Authority (known as Libraries NI), as set down in the Libraries Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, is to provide a comprehensive and efficient public library service for persons living, working or studying in Northern Ireland.
    
2. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.
    
3. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.
    
4. Biographical details of Members:
   
   Cllr Alistair Cathcart
   
   Councillor Cathcart is a Councillor on Ards and North Down Borough Council and has held roles on a number of committees including the Planning Committee, Finance Committee and the Environment Committee, through which he brings strategic direction and stakeholder engagement to the Board. He is also governor at a primary school and a Director on the Board of the North Down Development Organisation, a local enterprise agency. In the last five years he has undertaken political activity for the Democratic Unionist Party.
   
   Cllr Glen Finlay
   
   Councillor Finlay is a Councillor on Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and has held roles on a number of committees including the Community Planning and Regeneration Committee, Policing and Community Safety Partnership and the Lough Neagh Partnership. He is also governor at a grammar school, chairman of his political party’s local association and a project co-ordinator for a third sector organisation working with young men who are experiencing difficulties in life. In the last five years he has undertaken political activity for the Alliance Party.
   
   Cllr Cara Hunter
   
   Councillor Hunter is a Councillor for the Derg District Electoral Area, the constituency she currently represents and Deputy Mayor for Derry City and Strabane District Council. She has previously worked in the communications team at Kellogg’s European HQ in Dublin and in University of California, Los Angeles, Ventura County Medical Center through which she brings public relations/communications experience. In the last five years she has undertaken political activity for the Social Democratic Labour Party.
   
   Cllr Cheryl Johnston
   
   Councillor Johnston is a Councillor for Mid and East Antrim, where she has experience of setting the strategic direction, and is the office manager for a MLA. As chair of the Townscape Heritage project she has experience of financial understanding, of identifying key issues and taking decisions to achieve effective use of resources. In the last five years she has undertaken political activity for the Democratic Unionist Party.
   
   Miss Linda Wilson
   
   Miss Wilson is a former Department of Education Board Member where she contributed to the corporate planning process, financial and performance management. She developed a new early years learning policy and has wide experience of policy development and governance across a range of NICS Departments. She has also been the chair of project boards of several major capital projects through which she oversaw risk management and financial progress. She has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years and holds no other public appointments.
    
5. Media enquiries to DfC Press Office on 02 89082 3532 or email: Press.office@communities-ni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110.
    
6. Follow the Department on Twitter @CommunitiesNI

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