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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Brendan Hughes

Belfast deputy lord mayor Michelle Kelly won't seek re-election to be 'more present' for baby daughter

The deputy lord mayor of Belfast has said she will not be seeking re-election in May so that she can be "more present" for her baby daughter.

Michelle Kelly said it was a "difficult decision" but she has been "balancing council with a full-time job".

She thanked her Alliance Party colleagues for their support as she announced she would not be putting her name forward for re-selection.

Read more: Sinn Féin MPs don't need to declare party wages on register, says parliamentary standards watchdog

Ms Kelly was elected in 2019 to represent the Titanic area and gave birth to her daughter Charlotte in April 2021.

She has been deputy lord mayor since June last year.

Posting an image of herself with Charlotte on Twitter, the councillor wrote: "I've made the difficult decision not to stand for re-selection.

"It's been the honour of my life to represent Titanic @belfastcc but I've been balancing council with a full-time job since my wee miracle was just a few weeks old & I want to be more present for her as she grows.

"Thank you to @naomi_long for believing in me, to @CIrMichaelLong and our wonderful @allianceparty team in Belfast. It has been a privilege and I will work as hard as ever in these final months."

Ms Kelly has previously described how a lack of maternity support is a "serious obstacle" to women entering politics in Northern Ireland.

She told the BBC that following the birth of Charlotte she returned to meetings after about two weeks, which were possible remotely due to Covid-19 regulations.

Ms Kelly said that improving conditions would make local politics more attractive for young parents and widen the demographic of councillors.

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