Sandra Overend (born 11 May 1973) is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician in Northern Ireland. She served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Mid-Ulster from 2011 to 2017.

Sandra Overend
Overend in 2015
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Mid-Ulster
In office
5 May 2011 – 3 March 2017
Preceded byBilly Armstrong
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born (1973-05-11) 11 May 1973 (age 51)
Stewartstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
SpouseNigel
Children3
Residence(s)Bellaghy, County Londonderry
Alma materUniversity of Ulster

Background

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Overend was born near Stewartstown, County Tyrone and educated at Cookstown High School and the University of Ulster. She lives near Bellaghy, County Londonderry. She is married with three children; her father-in-law is former Vanguard politician Robert Overend. She worked in accountancy before taking up employment as office manager for her father Billy Armstrong MLA in 1998. Overend is the Ulster Unionist Party Women's Development Officer.[1]

Overend stood unsuccessfully in Mid Ulster at the 2010 UK general election, taking 11% of the vote and fourth place.[2] She stood again in Mid Ulster in the 2015 general election, taking 15.4% of the vote and second place and overtaking the DUP. [3]

Overend has said that there must be an equitable solution found for Northern Ireland's dairy farmers or else the industry runs the risk of being strangled by low prices. "Whilst Thursday's increase in the milk auction, 25.04ppl to 26.22ppl, is to be welcomed we must remember that exactly the same auction last year produced results of 29.53ppl. Therefore whilst milk prices may be rising from their cripplingly low 22ppl only a few months ago, they still have much further to go to simply match last year’s prices."[4]

She was defeated at the 2017 Assembly election. [5]

References

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  1. ^ Ulster Unionist Party website Archived 1 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, uup.org; accessed 16 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Election 2010: Mid Ulster", BBC News; accessed 16 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Mid Ulster". Ark Northern Ireland Elections.
  4. ^ "Farminglife.com - Grocery Code Adjudicator could play role: MLA". Farming life. Farming life. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Sandra Overend: Losing my seat at Stormont was a huge surprise for me, but life can change its course in a way you don't expect it to". Belfast Telegraph. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Mid-Ulster
2011–2017
Seat abolished