Kellie Armstrong MLA is an Alliance Party MLA for the Strangford Constituency.

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Political Career

 

Kellie is the Alliance Party’s spokesperson for Communities, Housing and Public Administration. In the Assembly, Kellie sits on the statutory Committee for Communities, Chairs the standing Committee for Procedures and is a member of the Chairperson’s Liaison Group.

 

Prior to being elected to the Assembly for the first time in 2016, Kellie was a Councillor on both Ards and then Ards and North Down Borough Councils.

 

Kellie is a strong electoral performer and has grown the Alliance vote share in Strangford since she entered full time politics in 2016.

Election results for the NI Assembly:

2022: 7015 (17.2% share of first preference votes) topping the poll. Overall Alliance vote share was 24.1% enabling a second Alliance MLA to be elected. Nick Mathison joined Kellie in the NI Assembly when he won the final seat in the constituency.

2017: 5813 (20% share of first preference votes), first candidate elected in Strangford. Increased Alliance vote share by 4.3 since 2016.

2016: 3499 (10.7% share of first preference votes, final candidate elected in Strangford. Tight election for Alliance with Kellie replacing Kieran McCarthy, a long standing MLA who retired.

 

Kellie also stood in several Westminster elections

2019: 10, 634 votes (28.4% of the vote share) an increase of 13.7%. Kellie secured the highest ever vote for Alliance in Strangford.

2017: 5,693 (14.7% of the vote share) and increase of 0.9%

2015: 4,687 (13.8% of the vote share) an increase of 5.1%

 

Kellie has been an active member of the Alliance Party for over 15 years. She has held various positions including: Chief Whip, Chair of the local Strangford Association, Convenor of the Political Organisation – that oversees election and activist activities, member of the Alliance Party Executive, a member of the Alliance Women’s Group, member of Alliance’s Ability Group and Vice Chair of the Party.

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Integrated Education

 

On the 26th April 2022 Kellie Armstrong MLA’s private members bill received Royal Assent and the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 became law.

The Integrated Education Act is ground breaking legislation that broadens the definition of Integrated Education and increases the scope of the statutory duty placed on the Department for Education and the Education Authority. 

 

Kellie wanted to reflect the changing demographic makeup of Northern Ireland which is evidenced in the results of the 2021 Census. The meaning of Integrated Education is now defined as:

Integrated Education means the education together, in an integrated school, of -
(a) those of different cultures and religious beliefs and of none, including reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children or young persons;
(b) those who are experiencing socio-economic deprivation and those who are not; and
(c) those of different abilities.

The act defines an integrated school as:

An “integrated school” is a school which—

(a)intentionally supports, protects and advances an ethos of diversity, respect and understanding between those of different cultures and religious beliefs and of none, between those of different socio-economic backgrounds and between those of different abilities, and

(b)has acquired—

(i)grant-maintained integrated status, or

(ii)controlled integrated status

under the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.

 

The duty has been modified “to encourage, facilitate and support” with “support” defined as:

Meaning of support

5.—(1) A reference in any provision of Northern Ireland legislation to support for integrated education (including support for the development of integrated education) is a reference to—

(a)identifying, assessing, monitoring and aiming to meet the demand for the provision of integrated education within the context of area planning and the overall sustainability of the school estate (including, in particular, monitoring the number and success of applications for integrated education), and

(b)providing sufficient places in integrated schools to aim to meet the demand for integrated education within the context of area planning and the overall sustainability of the school estate (including examining evidence of expected future demand).

(2) In subsection (1)(a) “monitor” means monitor by reference to data collected in respect of relevant catchment and other areas.

 

The Act also requires the Department for Education to bring forward a strategy and action plan with targets and objectives to achieve to encourage, facilitate and support Integrated Education.

 

Disability Campaigner and Advocate for Carers

 

Kellie is committed to improving the lives and well-being for people with disabilities and their Carers. Having grown up with a brother with learning disabilities, Kellie has first-hand experience of the issues faced by people with disabilities and their families. Kellie also cares for her father who has limited mobility.

In March 2016 over 8500 people signed Kellie’s petition calling on both the Health and Education Ministers to reduce diagnosis waiting times and provide better access to services for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Kellie supports the call for post-16 education for older children with disabilities and has submitted a petition to the Minister for Education for fair access to sixth form for young people with disabilities. As a long standing member of the All Party Group on Disability, Learning Disability and Carers Kellie works with many people with disabilities and organisations to ensure their voice is heard in the heart of government.

 

Miscarriage and bereavement

 

Kellie is committed to ensuring mothers and fathers who have experienced the loss of a child in pregnancy receive compassionate care and support. Kellie calls on government to provide better bereavement leave for parents who have lost a child in early pregnancy. Kellie is campaigning for the introduction of government certificates that acknowledge the existence of a child lost during pregnancy, should the parents wish to have one

 

Career before politics

 

For 16 years Kellie worked in the Community and Voluntary sector. The last 9 of those years Kellie was the Northern Ireland Director of Community Transport Association (CTA), delivering transport solutions for older people and people with disabilities through community led initiatives. In that role Kellie provided legal and technical advice to organisations and government on transport legislation, and business development and governance advice and support for over 150 community organisations to enable better delivery of accessible transport services. Before CTA, Kellie managed North Belfast Community Transport and Peninsula Community Transport. At the start of her career Kellie worked in Marketing and Advertising for AndersonSpratt Group, Downtown Radio and Cool FM and GCAS Advertising.

 

Personal Life

 

Married, with a daughter who attended integrated education, Kellie lives on a small wildlife reserve on the Ards Peninsula. Kellie is a graduate of Queens University Belfast where she obtained a 2:1 BA (Hons) in Byzantine Studies. Kellie was educated in Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch and St Patrick’s primary school, Ballygalget. Kellie has a hearing impairment and proudly wears double hearing aids.

 

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