Banbridge District Council

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Banbridge District
Comhairle Ceantair Dhroichead na Banna
Image:NorthernIrelandBanbridge.png
Geography
Area
- Total
- % Water		 Ranked 15th
453 km²
? %
Admin HQ Banbridge
ISO 3166-2 GB-BNB
ONS code 95Q
Demographics
Population
- Total (2006)
- Density		 Ranked 18th
45,500
101 / km²
Community Protestant: 66.0%
Catholic: 31.5%
Politics
Banbridge District Council
http://www.banbridgedc.gov.uk/
MPs Jeffrey Donaldson
Eddie McGrady
David Simpson

Banbridge District Council is a local council in County Down in Northern Ireland. The Headquarters of the Council is in the town of Banbridge. The Council area is to the north-west of County Down and covers an area of 175 square miles (450 km²) of countryside - from Slieve Croob (1,775 ft) in the east to the River Bann valley in the west. It is also the main gateway to the Mourne Mountains, which lie to the south and is bisected by the A1 route between Belfast and Dublin. The other main small towns in the area include Rathfriland,Gilford, Scarva, Loughbrickland and Dromore. The population of the area is just over 42,000. [1]

The district consists of three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore. Notably, it was the only council controlled by one party (the UUP) from its creation in 1973 until the year 2000 [2] when the DUP gained a seat in a by-election in Dromore. [3]

In the last elections in 2005 17 members were elected. The current composition of the council is: 6 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 5 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 3 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 1 Alliance Party, 1 Sinn Féin In 2005-2006, the Council Chairman is Councillor Jim McElroy (DUP) and the Vice Chairman is Councillor Patrick McAleenan (SDLP).

In elections for the Westminster Parliament it is split between the Upper Bann, the Lagan Valley and the South Down constituencies.

Contents

[edit] Dromore By election, 2008

In late 2007 UUP Councillor Tyrone Howe resigned due to work commitments[4]. The resulting by election was the first electoral test for Traditional Unionist Voice[5]. Against expectations[6], the UUP held the seat[7].

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

[edit] Review of Public Administration

Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the Council is due to merge with Armagh City and District Council and Craigavon Borough Council in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 1502 Sq Km and a population of 176,326.[8] The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ overview of Banbridge district.
  2. ^ Banbridge election results.
  3. ^ Dromore 2000 by-election result
  4. ^ Rugby star gives up his council seat - Belfast Today
  5. ^ Tuv'S Harbinson Pledges To Do His Best For Locals - Dromore Today
  6. ^ No love lost in Valentine poll - Belfast Today
  7. ^ UUP take Dromore council seat - Belfast Today
  8. ^ Minister Foster announces decisions on Local Government Reform. DoE. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
  9. ^ Northern Ireland elections are postponed, BBC News, April 25, 2008, accessed April 27, 2008

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Districts of Northern Ireland
(Subdivisions created by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971)