William Bleakes

William G. "Billy" Bleakes was a Northern Irish unionist politician who served as Mayor of Lisburn from 1988 to 1989, as well as a Lisburn Borough Councillor from 1977 to 2001.

William Bleakes
Mayor of Lisburn
In office 1988–1989
Member of Lisburn Borough Council
In office 15 May 1985 – 7 June 2001
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	James Baird
Constituency	Downshire
In office 18 May 1977 – 15 May 1985
Preceded by	Ivan McKeever
Succeeded by	District abolished
Constituency	Lisburn Area B
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Down
In office 1982–1986
Preceded by	Assembly re-established
Succeeded by	Assembly dissolved
Personal details
Born	1933 Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Died	19 October 2021
Political party	Independent Unionist (1998–2001) NI Conservative (1989–1998)
Other political affiliations	Ulster Unionist (1981–1989) United Ulster Unionist (until 1981)

Additionally, Bleakes was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 1982 until 1986.

Career

Bleakes was first elected to Lisburn Borough Council in 1977 as a United Ulster Unionist Party (UUUP) councillor for 'Area B' (equivalent to the current 'Downshire' electoral area.) With the UUUP in decline, he switched to the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and was returned to Lisburn Council in 1981 for that party. In 1982 he contested the North Down Assembly constituency, which then included parts of Lisburn. He won the last seat, just six votes ahead of his nearest challenger, the closest margin of the election. He continued to serve as a UUP local councillor, serving as Mayor of Lisburn in 1988–89 before joining the Conservative Party. He was re-elected as a Conservative councillor in 1993 and 1997.

Bleakes stood unsuccessfully in the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election in Lagan Valley. He then left the Conservatives to sit as an independent Unionist. However, a change in electoral legislation meant that he was unable to run under that label in 2001 and he lost his seat standing as an Independent.