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The official car used by the Lord Mayor of Belfast is to change from a diesel to an electric vehicle, for the first time.

City councillors tonight voted in favour of the move, but were split over which model of electric car to choose.

The issue was put to a vote and an Audi E-tron car was chosen.

Sinn Féin's leader on the council, Ciaran Beattie, said a less expensive Hyundai model would have been preferable to the "luxury car".

He said: "Replacing the mayor's car with one that is electric is the right and appropriate step, however this must be done at minimal cost to the rate payer."

Rather than buy the new vehicle, the council intends leasing the car from early next year.

'Best value'

The current mayor is the DUP's Frank McCoubrey.

In a document distributed to councillors last month, it was estimated that the Audi E-Tron would cost £53,150 to buy, or £7,920.60 a year to lease.

The Alliance Party's leader on the council, Michael Long, said the vehicle represented the best value for money in terms of space and mileage.

Rejecting Sinn Fein's criticism, he said: "This detracts from the big issue, the fact we have managed to get the first ever electric car for the Lord Mayor in Belfast.

An electric charging point is expected to be installed at Belfast City Hall in the coming months.

The existing car used by the Lord Mayor is a diesel BMW 7 Series.

On average, the mayor's vehicle does around 6,000 miles a year.