Kate Nicholl

Kate Siobhan Nicholl (born 4 May 1988)

Nicholl was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2024 Alliance Party deputy leadership election.

Early life Nicholl was born in Marondera, Zimbabwe. Her father comes from County Down and her mother Helen comes from South Africa, where her family was involved in anti-Apartheid activism.

On 3 June 2016, Nicholl was co-opted onto Belfast City Council to fill the vacant position left after Paula Bradshaw of the Alliance Party was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2016 to represent Belfast South. In May 2019, she was elected outright, topping the poll in the Balmoral constituency. 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.

Nicholl claimed that being a non-native of Northern Ireland was a positive personal attribute as it gave her an outsider view on events.

In December 2021, Nicholl publicly stated her support for the legalisation of cannabis, as well as the introduction of supervised injection sites in Belfast.

Nicholl was chosen as one of two Alliance candidates for Belfast South at the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, alongside Paula Bradshaw.

The remaining three weeks of Nicholl's term as Lord Mayor was filled by Michael 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.

Member of the Legislative Assembly (2022–) On 7 May 2022, Nicholl was the final candidate to be elected for Belfast South, edging out incumbent Green Party MLA Clare Bailey. She is the first Zimbabwe-born MLA in Northern Ireland.

She has been an advocate for migrants and asylum seekers, and has been reported as "one of the best liked MLAs in Stormont across the parties."

Personal life Nicholl is married and has one son and a daughter. On 30 May 2022, Nicholl gave birth to a daughter named Étaín Evelyn Sherry. She was named after Nicholl's grandmother Evelyn, who was involved in anti-apartheid activism as a member of the Black Sash in South Africa. On 4 April 2025 she gave birth to a baby boy Dara.