# William Bleakes
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{{Short description|Northern Ireland politician (1933–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = William Bleakes
| office = Mayor of [Lisburn](/source/Lisburn)
| deputy =
| term_start = 1988
| term_end = 1989
| predecessor =
| successor =
| office1 = Member of [Lisburn Borough Council](/source/Lisburn_Borough_Council)
| constituency1 = [Downshire](/source/Downshire_(District_Electoral_Area))
| term_start1 = 15 May 1985
| term_end1 = 7 June 2001
| predecessor1 = District created
| successor1 = James Baird
| constituency2 = [Lisburn Area B](/source/Lisburn_Area_B)
| term_start2 = 18 May 1977
| term_end2 = 15 May 1985
| predecessor2 = Ivan McKeever
| successor2 = District abolished
| office3 = [Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Member_of_the_Northern_Ireland_Assembly) for
[North Down](/source/North_Down_(Assembly_constituency))
| term_start3 = 1982
| term_end3 = 1986
| predecessor3 = ''Assembly re-established''
| successor3 = ''Assembly dissolved''
| birth_date = {{birth date text|1933}}
| birth_place = [Lisburn](/source/Lisburn), Northern Ireland
| death_date = {{death date and given age|2021|10|17|88|df=y}}
| death_place = Lisburn, Northern Ireland
| party = [Independent Unionist](/source/Independent_Unionist) (1998–2001)
[NI Conservative](/source/Northern_Ireland_Conservatives) (1989–1998)
| other_party = [Ulster Unionist](/source/Ulster_Unionist) (1981–1989)
[United Ulster Unionist](/source/United_Ulster_Unionist_Party) (until 1981)
}}
'''William George Bleakes''' (1933 – 17 October 2021) was a Northern Irish unionist politician who served as Mayor of [Lisburn](/source/Lisburn) from 1988 to 1989, as well as a [Lisburn Borough Council](/source/Lisburn_Borough_Council)lor from [1977](/source/1977_Lisburn_Borough_Council_election) to [2001](/source/2001_Lisburn_Borough_Council_election).
Additionally, Bleakes was a [Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Member_of_the_Northern_Ireland_Assembly) (MLA) for [North Down](/source/North_Down_(Assembly_constituency)) from [1982](/source/1982_Northern_Ireland_Assembly_election) until 1986.
==Career==
Bleakes was first elected to [Lisburn Borough Council](/source/Lisburn_Borough_Council) in 1977 as a [United Ulster Unionist Party](/source/United_Ulster_Unionist_Party) (UUUP) councillor for 'Area B' (equivalent to the current 'Downshire' electoral area.) [[http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/73-81lglisburn.htm Local Government Elections 1973 - 1981: Lisburn]] With the UUUP in decline, he switched to the [Ulster Unionist Party](/source/Ulster_Unionist_Party) (UUP) and was returned to Lisburn Council in 1981 for that party. In 1982 he contested the [North Down Assembly constituency](/source/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](/source/Mayor_of_Lisburn) in 1988–89[[http://www.factni.co.uk/johnwarnock.htm F.A.C.T. | Families Achieving Change Together | John Warnock]] before joining the [Conservative Party](/source/Conservatives_in_Northern_Ireland). He was re-elected as a Conservative councillor in 1993 and 1997.
Bleakes stood unsuccessfully in the [1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election](/source/1998_Northern_Ireland_Assembly_election) in [Lagan Valley](/source/Lagan_Valley_(Assembly_constituency)). He then left the Conservatives to sit as an [independent Unionist](/source/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](/source/Independent_politician).
==Death==
Bleakes died in Lisburn on 17 October 2021, at the age of 88.[{{cite news |last1=Cochrane |first1=Amy |title=Veteran unionist Billy Bleakes, former Lisburn mayor, has died aged 88 |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/veteran-unionist-billy-bleakes-former-lisburn-mayor-has-died-aged-88/40963245.html |access-date=2 January 2025 |publisher=Belfast Telegraph |date=19 October 2021}}][{{cite news |title=William George (Billy) Bleakes |url=https://www.funeraltimes.com/william-george-billybleakes250632260 |access-date=2 January 2025 |publisher=Funeral Times |date=18 October 2021}}]
==References==
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|ni/ass82}}
{{s-new | Assembly }}
{{s-ttl
| title = [MPA](/source/Member_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly) for [North Down](/source/North_Down_(Assembly_constituency))
| years = 1982–1986
}}
{{s-non | reason = Assembly abolished }}
{{s-civ}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-vac | unknown}}
{{s-ttl |title=[Mayor of Lisburn](/source/Mayor_of_Lisburn)|years=1988–1989}}
{{s-vac | unknown}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleakes, William}}
Category:1933 births
Category:2021 deaths
Category:Members of Lisburn City Council
Category:Mayors of places in Northern Ireland
Category:Northern Ireland MPAs 1982–1986
Category:Independent politicians in Northern Ireland
Category:United Ulster Unionist Party politicians
Category:Ulster Unionist Party councillors
Category:Conservative Party (UK) councillors
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Bleakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bleakes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bleakes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.