In December 2008, McCoubrey was nominated by Bob Stoker for the post of High Sheriff of Belfast and was sworn into office on 21 January 2009. Subsequently he successfully defended his council seat in the 2011 local elections. He retained his seat for the DUP in 2014 and was also the party's unsuccessful candidate for West Belfast in the 2015 general election and the 2016 Assembly election (also in Belfast West), where he came within 90 votes of winning the first seat for a Unionist party in 13 years.