Kate Nicholl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly forBelfast South | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Clare Bailey |
| 79thLord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 1 June 2021 – 7 May 2022[1] | |
| Deputy | Tom Haire |
| Preceded by | Frank McCoubrey |
| Succeeded by | Michael Long[2] |
| Member of Belfast City Council | |
| In office 3 June 2016 – 7 May 2022[3] | |
| Preceded by | Paula Bradshaw |
| Succeeded by | Micky Murray |
| Constituency | Balmoral |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kate Siobhan Nicholl (1988-05-04)4 May 1988 (age 36)[4] Marondera,Zimbabwe |
| Political party | Alliance |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Methodist College Belfast |
| Alma mater | University College London (BSc)[5] Ulster University (MSc)[6] |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Website | Official website Assembly profile |
Kate Siobhan Nicholl (born 4 May 1988)[4] is aNorthern Irish politician for theAlliance Party, serving as aMember of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) forBelfast South since2022.
Before her election to the assembly, Nicholl was the 79thLord Mayor of Belfast, having been elected in June 2021.[7][1] She was the first Lord Mayor in recent history not to be born in theUnited Kingdom orRepublic of Ireland.[8]
Nicholl was an unsuccessful candidate in the2024 Alliance Party deputy leadership election.[9]
Nicholl was born inMarondera,Zimbabwe.[10] Her father comes fromCounty Down and her mother Helen comes fromSouth Africa, where her family was involved inanti-Apartheid activism.[11][12] They left Zimbabwe in 2000 when Kate was 12 afterviolence broke out, moving to Belfast.[12] She studied atMethodist College Belfast,[11] and worked as an advisor to the Alliance Party'sAnna Lo.
Nicholl ran as one of two Alliance Party candidates, alongsideAndrew Muir, for the constituency of Hollywood and Clandeboye in the North Down and Ards Borough Council, as a part of the2014 local elections. She placed sixth; missing out on the fifth seat by just under 200 votes to the DUP's Jennifer Gilmore.[13]
On 3 June 2016, Nicholl was co-opted onto Belfast City Council to fill the vacant position left afterPaula Bradshaw of theAlliance Party was elected to theNorthern Ireland Assembly inMay 2016 to representBelfast South. InMay 2019, she was elected outright, topping the poll in theBalmoral constituency.[8]
She was sworn in as 79th Lord Mayor of Belfast on 1 June 2021, succeeding theDemocratic Unionist Party'sFrank McCoubrey.[12] The theme for Nicholl's year as Lord Mayor was 'Our Belfast'. One of her first policies on becoming Lord Mayor was to focus on the health and well-being of children and brought the views of young people into meetings, though mental and wider physical health formed no part of her or the Council's responsibilities.[14]
Nicholl claimed that being a non-native of Northern Ireland was a positive personal attribute as it gave her an outsider view on events.[12] In interviews she acknowledged the differences and conflict in Belfast, but hoped she would be able to unite people, saying "how the city – all of it – is ours".[11] As Lord Mayor, Nicholl wassexually harassed onsocial media over her condemnation of sexism and abuse on the Internet. She said that Alliance Party leaderNaomi Long had faced similar harassment.[15]
In December 2021, Nicholl publicly stated her support for the legalisation of cannabis, as well as the introduction ofsupervised injection sites inBelfast.[16]
Nicholl was chosen as one of two Alliance candidates forBelfast South at the2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, alongsidePaula Bradshaw.[17]
The remaining three weeks of Nicholl's term as Lord Mayor was filled byMichael Long, the husband of Alliance Party leader Naomi Long. Long's three-week term as Lord Mayor was the shortest term of office for any Lord Mayor of Belfast and was also the first time that the spouse of a former Lord Mayor has held the post.[2][18][19]
On 7 May 2022, Nicholl was the final candidate to be elected for Belfast South, edging out incumbentGreen Party MLAClare Bailey.[20] She is the first Zimbabwe-born MLA in Northern Ireland.[8] Upon her return to work soon after her daughter's birth, Nicholl highlighted that "support simply doesn't exist for women MLAs with babies and young children" as MLAs have no option for paidmaternity leave like MPs do.[21][22]
She has been a passionate advocate formigrants andasylum seekers, and has been reported as "one of the best liked MLAs inStormont across the parties."[23]
Nicholl ran inBelfast South and Mid Down at the2024 general election, coming second to theSDLP'sClaire Hanna, increasing Alliance's share by 4.9% to 8,839 votes (20.3%).[24][25]
Nicholl is married and has one son and a daughter.[8] She gave birth to son, Cian Luca Sherry on 17 November 2019.[26] On 30 May 2022, Nicholl gave birth to a daughter named Étaín Evelyn Sherry.[27][28] She was named after Nicholl's grandmother Evelyn, who was involved in anti-apartheid activism as a member of theBlack Sash inSouth Africa.[29]
