A veteran Ulster Unionist Party councillor has announced he will seek the party's nomination for the North Down constituency in the next Assembly election, and insists he will not stand aside as he says he has been asked to do on three previous occasions.

Alderman Mark Brooks, who represents Bangor East and Donaghadee on Ards and North Down Borough Council, said he decided to declare his intentions amid speculation that another councillor from outside North Down could be selected.

Brooks stated that the candidate for North Down should be someone from within the area. He noted that while he would not object if sitting MLA Alan Chambers were selected again, he disagrees with the possibility of bringing in a councillor from another part of the borough.

Brooks recounted that in 2016 and 2017, after the local association had selected him for the Assembly elections, then-party leader Mike Nesbitt asked him to step aside. Alan Chambers was selected as the candidate instead. Brooks said he argued at the time that both could win seats, but the leadership felt the vote management would be compromised.

He also said that ahead of the 2024 Westminster election, he was again asked to withdraw his name to allow high-profile candidate Colonel Tim Collins to stand. Brooks said he was happy to do so, but noted that this was the third time his name had been put forward and he had been asked to step aside.

Brooks pointed to his electoral record, saying he is the most successful UUP councillor in North Down. He topped the poll in the 2023 council elections with 1,972 first preference votes, more than any other unionist candidate.

His comments follow a recent message from current North Down MLA Alan Chambers, who insisted he would continue to serve the constituency and addressed speculation about possible deselection. Brooks expressed support for Chambers as a local representative.