Sinn Féin councillor Sandra Duffy has been elected as the new mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Mayor Duffy, from Burnfoot, accepted the mayoral chain from her predecessor, the DUP’s Alderman Graham Warke, at the council’s annual meeting held at the Guildhall. Mr Warke then announced that he was quitting the DUP to “move forward with a new political pathway”.

Sandra Duffy was first elected to Council for the Ballyarnett Ward in 2014 and is the party  Group Leader. Sandra is an ardent campaigner on social issues including ‘period poverty ’and made history in 2018 by ensuring Derry City and Strabane district Council became the first in Ireland to provide free period products in as many sporting grounds and public buildings as possible to combat this ever-growing issue.

Sandra is passionate about tackling homelessness and has been involved in this sector for over 20 years, she now leads and has developed outreach services addressing homelessness among young people and those with complex needs that require an intense service to meet their needs, including issues around addiction and mental health.

With a strong working relationships within the statutory, community and voluntary sectors. Sandra has been a board member of Advice North West for over ten years and works with the western trust in relation to wider health and social services for the City and District.