Derek Hussey
Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party on Derry City and Strabane District Council
In office
22 May 2014 – 2 May 2019
LeaderMike Nesbitt
Robin Swann
Succeeded byDarren Guy
Member of Derry City and Strabane District Council
Assumed office
22 May 2014
Preceded byCouncil created
ConstituencyDerg
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for West Tyrone
In office
25 June 1998 – 7 March 2007
Preceded byNew Creation
Succeeded byAllan Bresland
Personal details
Born (1948-09-12) 12 September 1948
Padstow, Cornwall, England
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
SpouseKaren Hussey
ChildrenRobert, Craig and Rachel
Alma materOmagh Academy
Occupationschool teacher
Professionteaching
Websitehttp://www.uup.org/

Derek Robert Hussey (born 12 September 1948) is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician, serving as a Derry and Strabane Councillor for the Derg DEA since 2014. Hussey was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for West Tyrone from 1998 to 2007.

Background

Hussey was educated at Omagh Model School, Omagh Academy and Stranmillis College, Belfast. He was previously a teacher at Castlederg High School.

He was elected to Strabane District Council in 1989 for the Derg District.[1] In 2007, he was elected Chairman of the council. In the 1996 election to the Northern Ireland Peace Forum, Hussey was elected as representative for West Tyrone.

In 1998, he was elected as MLA to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and re-elected in 2003.[2] He was a member of a country and western music band and was known to wear cowboy boots in the 1998–2003 Assembly.[3] He was an outgoing candidate in the 2007 Assembly elections, but lost his seat. His brother, Ross Hussey, re-took the UUP seat in 2011.

He also has a special interest in regional development, Ulster-Scots and the Orange Order. Hussey continued his role in local politics, and was re-elected as the only UUP Councillor on Strabane District Council in 2011. Hussey was later elected onto the newly-formed Derry and Strabane District Council in the 2014 local elections, still representing Derg, and was re-elected at the 2019 and 2023 elections.

Convictions

Derek Hussey has been convicted of driving with excess alcohol on three occasions, most recently in March 2016.[4]

This follows previous convictions in 2004,[5] when Mr Hussey was a Member of the Legislative Assembly for West Tyrone and 2011,[6] when he was a councillor for the Derg DEA on Strabane District Council.

Following the most recent conviction in March 2016, Alderman Hussey was suspended by the Ulster Unionist Party[7] On completion of community service the suspension was lifted and he still sits as an Ulster Unionist member of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Security Forces

The Hussey family have a strong connection with the security forces with Hussey himself serving as a part-time Special Constable with the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC), his late father Sydney Robert Hussey had served in the Royal Navy during World War II and the USC and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) until his death. His mother served in the Women's Royal Naval Service and the UDR, his brother Harold William was a sergeant in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), his sister was in the UDR and Royal Irish Regiment and his politician brother Ross also served as a part-time member of the RUC.

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to Strabane District Council Online – Councillors". Strabanedc.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  2. ↑ "VOTE 2003". BBC News. 28 November 2003. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Northern Ireland Assembly West Tyrone MLAs 2007". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
  4. ↑ "Drink drive ex-MLA Derek Hussey banned from driving" BBC News
  5. ↑ Drink drive shame of top MLA Ulster Unionist crashed car into a field – Belfast Telegraph, archived from the original on 5 May 2016, retrieved 6 April 2016
  6. ↑ "Drink drive ex-MLA Derek Hussey banned from driving". BBC News. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "UUP suspends former MLA Derek Hussey for drink-driving". www.newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
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