Banbridge District Council

Banbridge District Council was the local authority of Banbridge in Northern Ireland. It was created in 1973 when the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 came into force. In May 2015, it merged with Armagh City and District Council and Craigavon Borough Council to form one of 11 new local government units. The new council area was named Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council.

Banbridge District Council
Type
Type	District Council of Banbridge (district)

District council

The district was divided into three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore, which between them returned 17 members. Elections of the whole council were usually held every four years and were conducted under the proportional representation single transferable vote system. Notably, Banbridge District Council was the only council controlled by one party (the UUP) from its creation in 1973 until the year 2000[1] when the DUP gained a seat in a by-election in Dromore.[2] Following the May 2011 local-government elections, the UUP retook its position from the DUP as the largest party on the council, winning seven of the 17 seats available. This was one of the few gains made by the UUP in either the local or Assembly elections of that year. Six of the 17 councillors elected in 2011 were women. At 56 percent, turnout in the 2011 elections was the lowest it had been since Banbridge Council was formed in 1973.

In the civic year 2011–2012 UUP councillors Joan Baird and Carol Black served as the head and deputy head of the council. This was the first time in the history of Banbridge Council that the positions of chairman and vice-chairman had been held by women.[3]

Election results

Elections of the entire council were held every four years. The number of seats won by each party is shown below.[4] An election was due in 2009, but this was delayed until 2011 so as to accommodate the completion of a local-government reform programme aimed at reducing the number of council areas from 26 to 11.[5] The proposed amalgamation was abandoned in 2010, and so the 2011 elections returned members for the original 26 councils.[6]

Party	1973	1977	1981	1985	1989	1993	1997	2001	2005	2011
UUP	8	8	8	8	9	10	9	7	5	7
DUP	0	3	4	3	2	2	3	5	6	5
SDLP	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	2
SF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Alliance	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	1
Other Unionist	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Independent	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	0
Total seats	15	15	15	15	15	17	17	17	17	17
Female councillors	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	7	6
Turnout (incl. spoilt ballots)	71.34	63.62	72.43	67.17	65.78	62.05	57.57	69.60	63.45	56.42

Dromore by-election, 2008

In late 2007 UUP Councillor Tyrone Howe resigned due to work commitments.[7] The resulting by election was the first electoral test for Traditional Unionist Voice.[8] Against expectations,[9] the UUP held the seat.[10]

Dromore By-Election – 14 February 2008
Party		Candidate	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4	Count 5
	DUP	Paul Stewart	1069	1074	1127	1178	1508
	UUP	Carol Black	912	937	1119	1194	1571
	TUV	Keith Harbinson	739	742	801	828	-828
	Alliance	David Griffin	357	479	-479
	Sinn Féin	Paul Gribben	350	507	567	-567
	SDLP	John Drake	290	-290
	Green (NI)	Helen Corry	59	-59
Electorate=9688, valid=3776, spoiled=17, quota=1889

References

1. Banbridge election results.
2. Dromore 2000 by-election result
3. "Baird and Black Take Top Council Posts". Banbridge District Council. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
4. Ark Elections Data Set.
5. Northern Ireland elections are postponed, BBC News, April 25, 2008, accessed April 27, 2008
6. "The executive fails to agree a deal on council reform". BBC News. 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
7. Rugby star gives up his council seat – Belfast Today
8. Tuv'S Harbinson Pledges To Do His Best For Locals – Dromore Today
9. No love lost in Valentine poll – Belfast Today
10. UUP take Dromore council seat – Belfast Today