Belfast's Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl has adopted an electric vehicle as her official mode of transport.

Councillor Nicholl has become the first to test drive the initiative and the only Belfast Mayor to date to have an electric vehicle as their official mode of transport. This comes following agreement by Elected Members to switch to a greener vehicle for the Lord Mayor.

Speaking about the importance of showing leadership in the bid to tackle climate change, Councillor Nicholl said: "One electric vehicle will not solve the climate crisis; but small changes lead to momentum which leads to action. As a Council, we need to raise ambition and inspire others which in turn will act as a catalyst for action at a local level.

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"Switching to an electric vehicle sends an important signal that Council is committed to the challenge of what we can do as an organisation to address climate change."

Councillor Nicholl will be representing Belfast City Council at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow next month, and will be travelling to the event in the new electric vehicle, and by boat.

"Climate change is the most pressing challenge of our time and improving our sustainable transport infrastructure and reducing our carbon footprint will help us to reach our targets on moving towards a net zero economy," Councillor Nicholl added.

"As the largest local authority in Northern Ireland, we want to set an example to accelerate positive change. Our attendance at COP26 gives us a seat at the table of this global event and allows us the opportunity to showcase examples of best practice here in Belfast and Northern Ireland.

"While we still have some way to go, there is plenty of good work already underway and it is my hope that by focussing our attention on the issue in the run up to COP26, we will galvanise Belfast's own climate action plan."