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Local Government Election (NI)
Wednesday 15 May 1985
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Text and Research: Fionnuala
McKenna
Material is added to this site on a regular basis - information on this page may change
Local Government Election (NI)
Wednesday 15 May 1985
The following is a first draft (v1) of the results of the 1985
District Council (local government) elections held in Northern
Ireland on Wednesday 15 May 1985.
Introduction
The elections on 15 May 1985 were held
to elect 566 councilors to the 26 District Councils of Northern
Ireland. Prior to this election the number of electoral wards in Northern Ireland stood at 526, but this figure was reviewed by an independent Boundary Commission, and increased to 566. The voting in this election was by means of 'proportional representation'.
Summary of Results
Electorate:
Total valid vote:
Spoiled votes:
Percentage turnout:
| Party | First Preference Votes
| % Valid Poll |
| Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) | 188,497
| (29.5%) |
| Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) | 155,297
| (24.3%) |
| Social Democratic & Labour Party (SDLP)
| 113,967 | (17.8%)
|
| Sinn Féin (SF) | 75,686
| (11.8%) |
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) |
45,394 | (7.1%)
|
| Loyalist / Unionist (Loy./U.) | 19,712
| (3.1%) |
| Workers Party (WP) | 10,276
| (1.6%) |
| Independent Nationalist (Ind. Nat.) | 8,191
| (1.3%) |
| Irish Independence Party (IIP) | 7,459
| (1.1%) |
| Labour Party (Lab) | 3,692
| (0.6%) |
| Others | 11,451
| (1.8%) |
| Total | 639,622
| (100%) |
Source: Flackes and Elliott (1994)
Details of distribution of seats on the 26 District Councils
| Council
| DUP
| Loy./U.
| UUP
| APNI
| Lab.
| WP
| SDLP
| SF
| IIP
| Ind. Nat.
| Others
|
| Antrim |
5
| 0
| 9
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 3
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Ards | 8
| 1
| 6
| 3
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| Armagh |
3
| 0
| 11
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 7
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Ballymena |
15
| 0
| 6
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| Ballymoney
| 6
| 0
| 6
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| Banbridge |
3
| 0
| 8
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| Belfast |
11
| 4
| 14
| 8
| 0
| 1
| 6
| 7
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Carrickfergus
| 3
| 1
| 7
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| Castlereagh
| 10
| 0
| 8
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Coleraine |
6
| 0
| 10
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| Cookstown |
5
| 1
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 3
| 4
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Craigavon |
6
| 0
| 11
| 0
| 0
| 2
| 5
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Derry |
5
| 0
| 5
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 14
| 5
| 1
| 0
| 0
|
| Down | 3
| 0
| 7
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 10
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Dungannon |
3
| 0
| 8
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 5
| 4
| 0
| 2
| 0
|
| Fermanagh |
2
| 0
| 8
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 4
| 8
| 1
| 0
| 0
|
| Larne |
6
| 0
| 6
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 0
|
| Limavady |
2
| 0
| 7
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Lisburn |
8
| 0
| 13
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 2
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Magherafelt
| 4
| 0
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 4
| 4
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Moyle |
3
| 2
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 4
| 2
| 0
| 0
| 2
|
| Newry and Mourne
| 2
| 0
| 7
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 14
| 5
| 1
| 1
| 0
|
| Newtownabbey
| 9
| 2
| 10
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|
| North Down
| 6
| 3
| 8
| 7
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
| Omagh |
4
| 0
| 4
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 5
| 6
| 1
| 0
| 1
|
| Strabane |
4
| 0
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 3
| 3
| 0
| 2
| 0
|
| Total
| 142
| 14
| 190
| 34
| 2
| 4
| 101
| 59
| 4
| 6
| 10
|
Source: Flackes and Elliott (1994)
|
