Martin Morgan elected Lord Mayor of Belfast

Councillors in Belfast have elected Martin Morgan of the SDLP as the city's new Lord Mayor.

Mr Morgan replaces Sinn Fein's Alec Maskey.

Mr Morgan's election was a virtual certainty after the UUP and the DUP put forward rival candidates.

In the end, the SDLP candidate secured 26 votes from his own party, Sinn Fein and Alliance.

The UUP's Bob Stoker got 14 votes, while the DUP's Robin Newton secured 10.

Speaking after the vote, Mr Morgan said he believed in social partnership and consultation with other political parties as the means to create a better Belfast.