Councillor Kenny Duffy (Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig) was elected as Provost and Councillor Bob Burgess (Wishaw) was elected as Depute Provost.

The new Provost is the youngest and first openly LGBT+ civic head of the council.

The Provost said, “It is a true privilege to represent the people of North Lanarkshire as the civic head and I take on this role with candour and pride.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to see the community spirit that runs through the towns and villages of North Lanarkshire as well as the astonishing and diverse range of work that people do for their own communities.

“As the youngest and first LGBT+ person to hold the office, I look forward to working with people, groups, businesses and charities across North Lanarkshire.

“As elected members, we all have a responsibility to represent our communities and it’s a great honour to do so. It’s important to me in my role as the Provost, that I champion every member’s right to speak fairly and equally in the council chamber and I am looking forward to achieving that.”

Commenting on his appointment, Councillor Burgess said: “I am delighted and honoured to be elected as Depute Provost and to represent our residents.

“I am really looking forward to meeting more local people and working with communities to celebrate and recognise the work they do.”