Platinum Jubilee: Belfast Lord Mayor to attend jubilee events

The new Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin's Tina Black, has said she will be attending events to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Speaking after being elected to the post on Wednesday evening, she said she wanted to be a mayor for everyone in the city.

Ms Black said her exact schedule over the coming days had not been confirmed.

However, she noted that it would include council-run jubilee events.

Among the activities organised by Belfast City Council are a beacon-lighting in the Titanic Quarter on Thursday evening and tea-dances at City Hall on Friday, while City Hall will also be lit up purple on Sunday evening to mark the jubilee.

In an interview for BBC News NI, the new Lord Mayor said: "I'm definitely a mayor for the entire city.

"I love Belfast. I love the people of Belfast. I will be going to some [jubilee] events. I want to be seen in all areas of the city. And I will certainly be out supporting people."

Ms Black, who is a community worker in west Belfast, joined the city council in 2018.

She said: "I think that Belfast needs to move onto a new chapter. The challenges we face in this city are largely shared, and I think the only way to overcome those challenges is together.

"I have a passion for community development. And I want to make sure that our ethnic minority communities are well represented in this year also. To me, they just enhance the mosaic of Belfast."

Ms Black replaced the Alliance Party's Michael Long, the shortest-serving mayor in the city's history.

He had the job for only 23 days, taking over from party colleague Kate Nicholl when she was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly last month.

Ms Black is the ninth Sinn Féin Lord Mayor since Alex Maskey became the first to hold the top job 20 years ago.

The new deputy mayor is Alliance Party councillor Michelle Kelly.

The posts were filled at the monthly meeting of the council at Belfast City Hall.