Billy Bell (politician)

For other uses, see Billy Bell (disambiguation).

William Bradshaw Bell, OBE, JP (9 October 1935 – 9 June 2020) was a North Irish Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician who served as Lord Mayor of Belfast. He was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Lagan Valley from 1998 to 2007.

Billy Bell OBE, JP
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Lagan Valley
In office 25 June 1998 – 7 March 2007
Preceded by	New Creation
Succeeded by	Basil McCrea
Member of Lisburn City Council
In office 17 May 1989 – 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Richard Scott
Succeeded by	Stephen Moore
Constituency	Dunmurry Cross
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Antrim
In office 20 October 1982 – 1986
Lord Mayor of Belfast
In office 1979–1980
Preceded by	David Cook
Succeeded by	John Carson
Member of Belfast City Council
In office 18 May 1977 – 15 May 1985
Preceded by	David Smylie
Succeeded by	District abolished
Constituency	Belfast Area E
Member of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention for Belfast North
In office 1975–1976
Personal details
Born	(1935-10-09)9 October 1935 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	9 June 2020(2020-06-09) (aged 84) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Resting place	Dundonald Cemetery
Political party	Ulster Unionist Party
Website	Profile, archive.org

Life career

Bell served as a Councillor on Belfast City Council from 1976 to 1985 and was Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1979 to 1980. He also served on Lisburn Council (1989–2007) and was Mayor of the City of Lisburn in 2003.

He was Personal Assistant to MP Rt Hon Sir James Molyneaux from 1976 to 1997. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (1975–1976) for North Belfast, and to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the Lagan Valley constituency in 1998 and again in 2003. In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Lagan Valley.^[1] Bell stood in the 2007 Assembly election after re-selection by his party. However, he lost his seat to fellow UUP candidate, Basil McCrea.

Bell was appointed a Justice of the peace in 1985, and was a member of the Northern Ireland Housing Council.^{[citation needed]}

Bell died in Belfast on 9 June 2020, at the age of 84.^[2]

References

1. Northern Ireland elections
2. "Obituary: UUP's Billy Bell, the first to be a mayor of two cities". Belfast Telegraph. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2024.

External links

• NI Assembly biography, archive.org; accessed 27 February 2017.

Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
New convention	Member for North Belfast 1975–1976	Convention abolished
Northern Ireland Assembly (1982)
New assembly	MPA for South Antrim 1982–1986	Assembly abolished
Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly	MLA for Lagan Valley 1998–2007	Succeeded by Basil McCrea
Civic offices
Preceded by David Cook	Lord Mayor of Belfast 1979–1980	Succeeded by John Carson
Preceded by Betty Campbell	Mayor of Lisburn 2002–2003	Succeeded by Cecil Calvert