Chris Lyttle (born 19 January 1981)[1] is an Alliance Party of Northern Ireland politician who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East from 2010 to 2022. He succeeded Naomi Long as Alliance Party MLA for Belfast East on 5 July 2010 and was elected to serve the constituency for another term on 7 May 2011, then again in 2016 and 2017.[2] Lyttle retired at the 2022 Assembly Election.
Chris Lyttle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East | |
| In office 6 July 2010 – 28 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Naomi Long |
| Succeeded by | Peter McReynolds |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1981 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Alliance |
| Residence(s) | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast (BA) Harvard University |
Early life and career
editBorn and raised in East Belfast, Lyttle attended Belmont and Strandtown Primary Schools, Sullivan, and Queen's University Belfast, where he received a First Class Honours Degree in Government and Politics. Lyttle was awarded a Helen Ramsey Turtle Scholarship for Conflict Management study at the University of California and a Frank Knox Fellowship for postgraduate training in Public Policy & Administration at Harvard University. He is also an alumnus of the Washington Ireland Program.[3]
Lyttle's professional experience includes work as Northern Ireland Assembly Constituency & Research Assistant to Alliance Party Deputy Leader, Naomi Long. He is known for his service to community organisations, business owners and other groups on a wide range of issues such as; housing, education, health, planning, employment and community safety. He has also served as Deputy Chair of the East Belfast District Policing Partnership and is a qualified Irish Football Association UEFA B Licence and Disability Football Coach, and is an active member of his local church.[3]
Political career
editLyttle was Deputy Chair of the Assembly Committee with responsibility for the scrutiny of the policy of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. These include the Programme for Government, the Investment Strategy, Community Relations, Social Investment, Equality, Community Development, Children & Young People and Older People.[4] Since May 2016, he has been vice-chair of the Assembly Committee on Education.
Lyttle chairs the All Party Group (APG) on Cycling and the APG on Children and Young People, as well as vice chairs the APG on Postal Issues. He is a member of the following APG groups: Fairtrade, International Development, Trade Unions, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Football, Heart Disease & Stroke, Science and Technology, Human Trafficking, Rugby, UNSCR 1325 Women, Peace and Security, Learning Disability, Cancer, Visual Impairment, Autism, Community and Voluntary Sector, and Ethnic Minority Communities.[5]
On 29 October 2021, Lyttle announced that he would be stepping down at the 2022 Assembly election.[6]
Career after politics
editIn June 2022, Lyttle was appointed as the Head of Public Affairs at the Irish Football Association.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Biography - Chris Lyttle MLA". Archived from the original on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ^ "BBC News - Election 2011 - Northern Ireland - East Belfast". Bbc.co.uk. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Chris Lyttle MLA: Leading change in East Belfast". ChrisLyttle.com. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "About the Department | About OFMDFM | Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister". Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ "MLA Details: Mr Chris Lyttle". Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ "Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle to step down". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ https://www.irishfa.com/news/2022/june/lyttle-appointed-as-irish-fa-s-head-of-public-affairs [bare URL]