"My year as Mayor has made me reflect on my career and my priorities going forward and this evening I informed the DUP that I want to move forward with a new political pathway.
"I am committed to move this city and district into a more progressive and united future, one that embraces the needs of all people who live and work here," Alderman Warke said in a statement released on Monday night.
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Alderman said he would be taking some time to spend with family and friends but would be continuing to serve the electorate as a councillor 'independently'.
"My decision to leave the DUP and pursue my career independently was made in close consultation with the electorate, my family and friends and wider community," he declared.