Belfast Mayor Seeks 'Prosperous City'

The new Lord Mayor of Belfast is Councillor Pat Convery of the SDLP.

Mr Convery, (pictured) a north Belfast councillor, was elected unopposed with 37 votes in his favour. He joined the council in 2001 and is a former Deputy Lord Mayor.

Meanwhile, the DUP's William Humphrey was elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor.

Mr Humphrey represents the Court area of the city.

Mr Convery replaces Naomi Long of the Alliance Party, who was elected MP for East Belfast last month, and whose term of office as first citizen was ending this month.

The newly elected Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr Pat Convery, said he would work for a safe, clean, united and prosperous city.

Thanking all those who had supported him, he said: "It is with great pride that I accept the position of Lord Mayor of Belfast. At a personal level it is a fitting way to celebrate ten years as a public representative for the north of the city.

"I want to focus on how we can continue to make progress in making Belfast a fantastic city to invest in, to work in, to visit and to live in," he said.

"Belfast is a young city – 20% of our people are under 16 years-of-age, 44% under 30.

"We must take pride in our city and in our people and showcase the best of what he can offer to the rest of our country and beyond. I will continue the work of making it a safe, clean, united and prosperous city."

The new first citizen also said that, thanks to the current economic climate no city will escape the ravages of public service cuts.

"I will do everything to ensure that vital frontline services which we all so desperately need are protected.

"We have brought jobs and services and we have revitalised our city. I will continue that work and I will continue to promote Belfast," he continued, noting there is a major opportunity coming in 2012 which marks the centenary of the launch of the Titanic and the opening of the Titanic Signature Project.

"We must grasp these opportunities and do our utmost to market our city on the world stage."

Originally from the Castledawson area, the new Mayor has lived in Belfast for the last 25 years.

Councillor Convery has a background in the hospitality and retail trade and has done voluntary work for a number of community groups.

He is Vice-Chairman on the SDLP, a Belfast Harbour Commissioner and a former Chairman of the Belfast District Policing Partnership.

The last SDLP Lord Mayor of Belfast was Councillor Pat McCarthy in 2006 to 2007.

(BMcC/GK)