In the lower part of the shield (in base) there is a silver sailing ship shown sailing on waves coloured in the actual colours of the sea (proper). The supporter on the "dexter" side (that is, the viewer's left) is a chained wolf, while on the "sinister" side the supporter is a sea-horse. The crest above the shield is also a sea-horse. These arms date back to 1613, when King James I granted Belfast town status. The seal was used by Belfast merchants throughout the 17th century on their signs and trade-coins. A large stained glass window in the City Hall displays the arms, where an explanation suggests that the seahorse and the ship refer to Belfast's significant maritime history. The wolf may be a tribute to the city's founder, Sir Arthur Chichester, and refer to his own coat of arms. Councillors The latest election to Belfast City Council took place on 2 May 2019, with the city's voters electing sixty councillors. Party strengths Historical composition Parties' election performances have changed substantially since the council election in 1973. The Ulster Unionist Party made a strong initial showing and remained the largest unionist party until 2005, when the Democratic Unionist Party became the dominant unionist party, while Sinn Féin has become the largest party overall. Nationalist representation showed a steady increase until recently, however still managed to become the largest grouping in the 2011 election. The number of unionist councillors has fallen almost every election. Cross-community representation has increased somewhat rapidly over the last few elections, almost overtaking the unionist representation in the 2019 election. Councillors by electoral area The council area is subdivided into 60 electoral wards, nominally one for each elected councillor. However, as the PR-STV voting system requires multi-seat constituencies, the 60 wards are grouped into ten district electoral areas (DEA) which elect between five and seven councillors each: Balmoral (5) Black Mountain (7) Botanic (5) Castle (6) Collin (6) Court (6) Lisnasharragh (6) Oldpark (6) Ormiston (7) Titanic (6) The current members are: † Co-opted to fill a vacancy since the election.‡ New party affiliation since the election.Last updated 6 January 2023. For further details see 2019 Belfast City Council election. Offices Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council and is elected annually by the council to serve a one-year term. A Deputy Lord