Green Party councillor Rachel Woods to quit North Down seat

Rachel Woods, who has been a Green Party politician for seven years, will take up a new role at the end of October

Green Party councillor Rachel Woods is to resign from Ards and North Down Council five months after she won the seat in the 2023 council elections.

Ms Woods, who was previously a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA), is stepping down to take up a new role.

In a party statement, she said she was leaving her position with a "heavy heart" and would miss it immensely.

The Green Party said it was "sad to see Rachel move on but we know she will continue to make positive change".

Ms Woods has been a politician for seven years and currently represents the Holywood and Clandeboye district electoral area of North Down.

She has served twice as a councillor, her terms bookending a two-and-a-half-year stint as an MLA for North Down.

At Stormont, she was co-opted into the assembly seat left vacant by former Green Party leader Steven Agnew when he quit politics in 2019.

'My immense privilege'

As an MLA, Ms Woods contributed to legislative change to bring greater protection to victims of stalking, domestic abuse and sexual crime.

"I am one of the few representatives to have brought a private members bill introducing life saving legislation for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, for paid leave from work as a day one employment right," she said.

However, she lost her seat in the 2022 assembly election, along with the then Green Party leader Clare Bailey, leaving the party with no representation at Stormont.

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Later that year, she returned to her previous job of working in a pub in Holywood, County Down.

After her bar job attracted negative comments on social media, Ms Woods spoke out about the trolls, saying: "I am proud to serve no matter where."

In May this year, Ms Woods returned to politics and was elected to Ards and North Down with 1,134 first preference votes.

She was one of only five Green Party candidates to win seats in the 2023 council elections.

In her statement on Monday, she said: "It was and always will be my immense privilege to serve for the people of Holywood and Clandeboye, and for North Down, for the Green Party NI and it is with a heavy heart that I leave this position."

Green Party Leader Mal O'Hara said: 'The Green Party team in North Down has achieved so much, despite our size."

He added that Ms Woods has "consistently challenged and questioned, lobbying for much needed change in how we manage our local environment and our services to community, fighting for a greener, cleaner and fairer society".