Arder Carson was born in Belfast in August 1960. He is from the Andersonstown area and worked as a butcher. Carson went to university as a mature student in his mid-thirties.

Carson was elected to Belfast City Council in 2014, representing Sinn Féin, having previously served as a councillor in Lisburn. He is the deputy-chair of the Planning Committee and sits on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee.

Carson sits on the Glen Road Community Centre Committee and represents the Council on the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau.