2 September 2026

Former Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Brian Tierney has announced that he will not contest the 2027 local government election.

Cllr Tierney, the SDLP Group Leader on the council, said that it had been a huge honour to represent the people of Derry but that, due to personal and professional commitments, he will stand down as a councillor early next year.

Cllr Brian Tierney said:

“There’s no greater honour than serving the community you live in and the people you live alongside as a political representative. It has been my personal and professional privilege to represent the people of Ballyarnett as a councillor for almost 14 years and to have had the enormous opportunity to be Derry’s Mayor. There really is no better job.

“But being a full time public representative is also a tough balancing act. I have been reflecting over the last number of months and, for a variety of reasons, I’ve decided that this is the right time for me to stand aside. I therefore will not be contesting the next election and plan to stand down from the council early next year.

“I first put my name forward to become a councillor in 2013 because I wanted the opportunity to improve the lives of my neighbours, to deliver for my community and to stand up for the city I love. After almost 14 years, I am very proud of everything I’ve been able to achieve with my colleagues in the SDLP, representatives from other parties and community activists from across the city.

"I am grateful to everyone who has supported me over that time and I am beyond grateful to my wife Cheryl, our children and my whole family. They have put up with summer nights spent knocking doors, lost weekends helping people with their problems and all the challenges that the family of politicians have to put up with. I couldn’t have done this job without them. And most of all, I’m grateful to the people of the Ballyarnett DEA and across Derry who put their trust in me to represent them."