Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils have appointed their Mayors, Chairs and Deputies for the year 2022/23. Please see below a full list of the incoming First Citizens for the next 12 months.
Less than a year out until the next Local Government Elections in Spring 2023, the parties will be looking to use their mayoralties or chair positions to boost their profiles and hopefully win more council seats. After holding three positions last year, however, the UUP has no mayoralties or chair positions this year and only three deputy positions. The SDLP, after holding no positions last year, holds just the one chair position in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council this year.
Alliance, after a very strong Assembly Election result in May, holds just two positions in Ards and North Down, and Mid and East Antrim. Sinn Féin and the DUP share four mayoralties or chairs between them. Only four of the new Mayors or Chairs this year are women, with three of those coming from Sinn Féin alone.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
Cllr Stephen Ross (DUP)
Cllr Leah Smyth (UUP)
Ards and North Down Borough Council
Cllr Karen Douglas (Alliance)
Cllr Craig Blaney (UUP)
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
Cllr Paul Greenfield (DUP)
Cllr Tim McClelland (DUP)
Belfast City Council
Cllr Tina Black (Sinn Féin)
Cllr Michelle Kelly (Alliance)
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
Cllr Ivor Wallace (DUP)
Cllr Kathleen McGurk (Sinn Féin)
Derry City and Strabane District Council
Cllr Sandra Duffy (Sinn Féin)
Cllr Angela Dobbins (SDLP)
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
Cllr Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin)
Cllr Allan Rainey (UUP)
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council
Cllr Scott Carson (DUP)
Cllr Michelle Guy (Alliance)
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Alderman Noel Williams (Alliance)
Cllr Beth Adger (DUP)
Mid Ulster District Council
Cllr Cora Corry (Sinn Féin)
Cllr Frances Burton (DUP)
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
Cllr Michael Savage (SDLP)
Cllr Aoife Finnegan (Sinn Féin)