| Alderman Michael Copeland | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast East |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 05 May 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Reg Empey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 June 1954 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Sonia Copeland |
| Children | 1 daughter (Sarah), 1 son (Matthew) |
| Residence | Cherryvalley, Belfast |
| Occupation | Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Councillor for Castlereagh Central |
| Profession | Politician |
| Committees | Department of Social Development, Standards and Priviledges, Public Accounts |
| Religion | Church of Ireland |
Alderman Michael Copeland (born 23 June 1954 in Belfast) is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Copeland was educated at Lisnasharragh Primary School, Lisnasharragh Secondary School, Castlereagh College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst becoming a lieutenant of the Ulster Defence Regiment, HM Armed Forces.
Copeland was first elected to Castlereagh Borough Council in 2001 and in May 2002 was elected Deputy Mayor of Castlereagh.
In 2002, he was elected chairman of Castlereagh District Policing Partnership. He later he resigned in protest at the treatment of the RUC full-time Reserve. He also served as Director of Castlereagh Local Strategy Partnership.
After defeating incumbent MLA Ian Adamson for the East Belfast UUP nomination for the 2003 Assembly Election he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. He was re-selected to stand for the constituency in the forthcoming elections in 2007 but lost his seat. Copeland remains an extremely active figure in local governmental politics within Northern Ireland: maintaining a keen interest in domestic, socioeconomic and housing problems. He was re-elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as MLA for East Belfast in the Assembly Elections in May 2011.
A member of the Orange Order and the Royal Black Institution, Alderman Copeland is the party's Parades spokesman.
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ian Adamson |
MLA for Belfast East 2003 - 2007 |
Succeeded by Wallace Browne |
| Preceded by Reg Empey |
MLA for Belfast East 2011–present |
Incumbent |