Banbridge District Council
Encyclopedia
Banbridge is a local government district
in Northern Ireland
. The district is one of 26 council areas formed on 1 October 1973, following the implementation of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972
. The headquarters of the council are in the town of Banbridge
.
and covers an area of 175 square miles (453.2 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 district was formed by the merger of Banbridge Urban District, Dromore Urban District
and Banbridge Rural District. In 1993 there was a boundary change, and the Rathfriland
area was transferred from the neighbouring district of Newry and Mourne. The other main small towns in the area include Gilford
, Loughbrickland and Scarva
. According to the 2001 census, the population of the district was just over 42,000, but by 2011 it is estimated to be closer to 50,000.
, in 2010 the district had a total of 12 GP practices with a total 31 GPs serving 54,956 registered patients, resulting in an average GP list size of 1,773, compared to the Northern Ireland of 1,608. The district had its own hospital, located in Banbridge, until December 1996 when inpatient services were ended. Craigavon Area Hospital
now deals with the majority of primary care cases from the district. In January 2002, the district council paid £725,000 for the former site of the hospital with the aim of turning it into a Community Health Village. In March 2011, the then Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey
, approved plans for the start of construction of a new Community Treatment and Care Centre and Day Care facility in the grounds of the Community Health Village. This new facility, which will join the already relocated Banbridge Group Surgery, will cost an estimated £16.5 million and be home to around 220 staff.
. In 2009-2010, for example, almost 52% of household waste was recycled/composted. In June 2009, a bring-and-buy reuse shop, Restore, was also opened by the local council in an effort to reduce waste in the district. In 2007 a biodiversity audit was carried out and in late 2007 a biodiversity action plan was published. Like the rest of Northern Ireland, woodlands make up only a small percentage of the district’s land cover (according to the Forestry Commission only 6.5% of Northern Ireland was forested in 2010). In recent years public funds have been committed to improving access to and the quality of outdoor spaces, including for example Solitude Park in Banbridge, the Newry Canal
Towpath which runs through the western part of the district, and Slieve Croob
taking in the Legananny Dolmen and the Finnis souterrain
(known locally as Binder's Cove). Given the unfavourable topography, the district is not currently home to any wind turbines, but it was announced in May 2010 that a biogas site would be built.
and is home to thirty-one publicly-funded educational establishments. This includes: three pre-primary nurseries; twenty-one primary schools (of which ten are “controlled” primaries, one is a “grant-maintained integrated” primary, and the other ten are “maintained” primaries); five post-primary institutions (of which one is a maintained secondary, two are controlled secondary schools, one is a controlled grammar school, and one is a grant-maintained integrated school). There is also a special needs school in Banbridge catering for pupils aged five to nineteen, which lies adjacent to one of six campuses belonging to the Southern Regional College
.
.
The two main arts venues in the district are the Iveagh Cinema and the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio. The £3-million cinema, which opened in May 2004, is home to a 300-seater screen that was specially designed and built to double up as a theatre facility for live performances, plays, and arts events. The F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio, opened in September 2008, houses the contents of the London studio of F. E. McWilliam
, a sculpture garden of McWilliam’s work, as well as providing a dedicated gallery space for temporary exhibitions.
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 when the DUP
gained a seat in a by-election in Dromore. 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 are 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 are serving as the head and deputy head of the council. This is the first time in the history of Banbridge Council that the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman have been held by women.
returned members for the original 26 councils.
resigned due to work commitments. The resulting by election was the first electoral test for Traditional Unionist Voice
. Against expectations, the UUP held the seat.
the district is split between the Upper Bann
(Ballydown, Banbridge West, Edenderry, Fort, Gilford, Lawrencetown, Loughbrickland, Seapatrick, The Cut), the Lagan Valley
(Dromore North, Dromore South, Gransha and Quilly) and the South Down
(Ballyward, Bannside, Katesbridge and Rathfriland) constituencies.
begun in 2002, plans were developed to merge Banbridge District Council with neighbouring council areas. According to the first seven-council model, announced in late 2005, it was proposed that Banbridge District should be merged with three other councils (Armagh
, Craigavon
and Newry and Mourne
). In June 2007 a second, 11-council reform proposal was announced according to which most of the area now covered by Banbridge District would be merged with Armagh City and District Council
and Craigavon Borough Council
. While some aspects of the review of public administration are proceeding that will affect the character of local councils in Northern Ireland, for example the transfer of the majority of planning functions from central government to district councils, the plans for local-government amalgamation have been put (perhaps indefinitely) on hold.
has also been operating, though up to now it has run for a limited number of days each year.
. Between 1969 and 2001 twelve individuals (six Catholic, six Protestant) lost their lives in the district as a result of the Troubles: Patrick Campbell in 1973, Joseph Toland in 1975, William, Elizabeth, and Noleen Herron, and Barry O’Dowd in 1976, Robert Harrison in 1977, Alan McCrum in 1982, John Bell in 1985, Terence Delaney in 1988, and Patrick Feeny and Loughlin Maginn in 1989. During the Troubles
two bombs exploded in the district, both in Banbridge. The first was in 1982, as a result of which Alan McCrum died. Two weeks before the Omagh bombing
, on August 1 1998, a second car bomb planted by the Real IRA
exploded in Banbridge town centre. While this second bomb caused a great deal of structural damage, no one was killed.
Local government in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The district is one of 26 council areas formed on 1 October 1973, following the implementation of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972
Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland that constituted district councils to administer the twenty-six local government districts created by the Local Government Act 1971, and abolished the existing local authorities in Northern Ireland.-District...
. The headquarters of the council are in the town of Banbridge
Banbridge
Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing...
.
Location and geography
The district is in the west of County DownCounty Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
and covers an area of 175 square miles (453.2 km²) of countryside - from Slieve Croob
Slieve Croob
Slieve Croob is the tallest of a group of peaks in the middle of County Down, Northern Ireland. These peaks lie north of the Mourne Mountains, between the village of Dromara and the town of Castlewellan. Slieve Croob has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
(1,775 ft) in the east to the River Bann
River Bann
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland, the total length being 80 miles . The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh...
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
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Dublin.
The district was formed by the merger of Banbridge Urban District, Dromore Urban District
Dromore, County Down
Dromore is a small market town in the Banbridge District of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is south-west of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast – Dublin road. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 4,968 people....
and Banbridge Rural District. In 1993 there was a boundary change, and the Rathfriland
Rathfriland
Rathfriland is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a hilltop Plantation of Ulster settlement between the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Croob and Banbridge. It had a population of 2,079 people in the 2001 Census.-History:...
area was transferred from the neighbouring district of Newry and Mourne. The other main small towns in the area include Gilford
Gilford
Gilford is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village sits on the River Bann between the towns of Banbridge, Tandragee and Portadown. It covers the townlands of Loughans, Ballymacanallen and Drumaran. It had a population of 1,573 people in the 2001 Census...
, Loughbrickland and Scarva
Scarva
Scarva is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is at the boundary with County Armagh, which is marked by the Newry Canal. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 320....
. According to the 2001 census, the population of the district was just over 42,000, but by 2011 it is estimated to be closer to 50,000.
Economic profile
Historically Banbridge District’s economy has its roots in manufacturing (textile/linen and shoe production), agriculture and the retailing/service sector. Ferguson’s, one of the oldest names in the Irish linen industry, still operates in Banbridge, and a shoe factory first opened in 1947 and closing in the early 2000s employed 600 workers at its height. According to council statistics the district is currently home to over 1,770 businesses, the vast majority of which have fewer than 10 employees. One of the most important recent large-scale economic developments to occur in the district has been the opening of a discount fashion outlet on the outskirts of Banbridge, which currently has 59 different stores. The outlet forms part of the Bridgewater Park development project, for which Tesco currently has planning permission to open one of its largest stores in Ireland. In late 2010 Asda also submitted plans for a store in Banbridge, with the possibility of creating jobs for up to 250 district residents.| Economic Indicator | Geographic Unit | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Median Gross Weekly Wage (£) | Banbridge | . | . | 280.4 | 308.1 | 294.0 | 324.8 | 271.7 | |
| Northern Ireland | 305.4 | 318.7 | 322.7 | 329.9 | 346.5 | 354.6 | 356.6 | ||
| Mean Gross Weekly Wage (£) | Banbridge | 250.6 | 348.3 | 330.9 | 399.3 | 400.0 | 392.0 | 354.6 | |
| Northern Ireland | 361.7 | 377.3 | 379.9 | 391.3 | 408.6 | 422.9 | 417.9 | ||
| Unemployment Rate (claimant count) (%) | Banbridge | . | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 3.5 | |
| Northern Ireland | . | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
Health profile
In 2006-2008 the life of expectancy of females living in the district was 82.6 years (Northern Ireland average was 81.3), compared with a life expectancy of 78.1 for males (Northern Ireland average was 79.3). According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research AgencyNorthern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency is an executive agency within the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland. The organisation is responsible for the collection and publication of statistics related to the economy, population and society of Northern Ireland...
, in 2010 the district had a total of 12 GP practices with a total 31 GPs serving 54,956 registered patients, resulting in an average GP list size of 1,773, compared to the Northern Ireland of 1,608. The district had its own hospital, located in Banbridge, until December 1996 when inpatient services were ended. Craigavon Area Hospital
Craigavon Area Hospital
Craigavon Area Hospital is a large hospital in Craigavon, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It serves an estimated 241,000 people from the boroughs/districts of Craigavon, Banbridge, Armagh and Dungannon–South Tyrone...
now deals with the majority of primary care cases from the district. In January 2002, the district council paid £725,000 for the former site of the hospital with the aim of turning it into a Community Health Village. In March 2011, the then Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey
Michael McGimpsey
Michael McGimpsey MLA is an Ulster Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South who has twice served in the Northern Ireland Executive...
, approved plans for the start of construction of a new Community Treatment and Care Centre and Day Care facility in the grounds of the Community Health Village. This new facility, which will join the already relocated Banbridge Group Surgery, will cost an estimated £16.5 million and be home to around 220 staff.
Environmental profile
Since the late 1990s more and more attention has been paid both by the local council and residents to enhancing the district’s environmental profile. Over the past decade Banbridge district has repeatedly recorded one of the highest levels of recycling in Northern IrelandRecycling in Northern Ireland
Recycling in Northern IrelandIn recent years ever greater efforts have been made in Northern Ireland to divert waste away from landfill through recycling. Currently Northern Ireland's 26 local councils have statutory responsibility for the collection and disposal of waste, and as such are the lead...
. In 2009-2010, for example, almost 52% of household waste was recycled/composted. In June 2009, a bring-and-buy reuse shop, Restore, was also opened by the local council in an effort to reduce waste in the district. In 2007 a biodiversity audit was carried out and in late 2007 a biodiversity action plan was published. Like the rest of Northern Ireland, woodlands make up only a small percentage of the district’s land cover (according to the Forestry Commission only 6.5% of Northern Ireland was forested in 2010). In recent years public funds have been committed to improving access to and the quality of outdoor spaces, including for example Solitude Park in Banbridge, the Newry Canal
Newry Canal
The Newry Canal, located in Northern Ireland, was built to link the Tyrone coalfields to the Irish Sea at Carlingford Lough near Newry.-History:...
Towpath which runs through the western part of the district, and Slieve Croob
Slieve Croob
Slieve Croob is the tallest of a group of peaks in the middle of County Down, Northern Ireland. These peaks lie north of the Mourne Mountains, between the village of Dromara and the town of Castlewellan. Slieve Croob has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
taking in the Legananny Dolmen and the Finnis souterrain
Dromara
Dromara is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies to the southwest of Ballynahinch on the northern slopes of Slieve Croob, with the River Lagan flowing through it. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 597 people....
(known locally as Binder's Cove). Given the unfavourable topography, the district is not currently home to any wind turbines, but it was announced in May 2010 that a biogas site would be built.
Educational profile
Banbridge District lies within the Southern Education and Library BoardSouthern Education and Library Board
The Southern Education and Library Board is a board providing education and library services in the southern districts of Northern Ireland: namely the district councils of Armagh, Banbridge, Cookstown, Craigavon, Dungannon and South Tyrone, and Newry and Mourne...
and is home to thirty-one publicly-funded educational establishments. This includes: three pre-primary nurseries; twenty-one primary schools (of which ten are “controlled” primaries, one is a “grant-maintained integrated” primary, and the other ten are “maintained” primaries); five post-primary institutions (of which one is a maintained secondary, two are controlled secondary schools, one is a controlled grammar school, and one is a grant-maintained integrated school). There is also a special needs school in Banbridge catering for pupils aged five to nineteen, which lies adjacent to one of six campuses belonging to the Southern Regional College
Southern Regional College
Southern Regional College is the name of the new regional further and higher education college in the Southern area of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom....
.
Sports and community sector
According to information collected by the local council, over 200 community groups and more than 80 sports clubs operate in the Banbridge District. In all probability these figures represent a conservative estimate of the vibrancy and diversity of social capital in the local area as the council’s directory of community groups and sports clubs includes some but not all of the many different youth, sports, and other types of groups and clubs that meet under the auspices of local churches.Arts and culture profile
Local government funding for the arts in the district is comparatively very low. In the financial year 2003-2004 the local council spent £1.23 per capita on the arts, which covers arts development and support, as well as spending on theatres and public entertainment. This compared to a mean Northern Ireland per-capita spend of £7.70, putting Banbridge District in 22nd place out of the 26 local councils. By 2006-2007, the mean per-capita spending on the arts by the council had risen to £3.38, but this compared to a Northern Ireland average of £8.44, putting the council at fifth from the bottom of Northern Ireland’s 26 local authoritiesLocal government in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...
.
The two main arts venues in the district are the Iveagh Cinema and the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio. The £3-million cinema, which opened in May 2004, is home to a 300-seater screen that was specially designed and built to double up as a theatre facility for live performances, plays, and arts events. The F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio, opened in September 2008, houses the contents of the London studio of F. E. McWilliam
F. E. McWilliam
F.E. McWilliam , was a British surrealist sculptor, born in Banbridge, County Down. He worked in stone, wood and bronze chiefly.-Biography:...
, a sculpture garden of McWilliam’s work, as well as providing a dedicated gallery space for temporary exhibitions.
District council
The district is divided into three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore, which between them currently return 17 members. Elections of the whole council are usually held every four years and are conducted under the proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system. Notably, Banbridge District Council was the only council controlled by one party (the UUP
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
) from its creation in 1973 until the year 2000 when the DUP
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
gained a seat in a by-election in Dromore. 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
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
in either the local or Assembly elections of that year. Six of the 17 councillors elected in 2011 are 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
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
councillors Joan Baird and Carol Black are serving as the head and deputy head of the council. This is the first time in the history of Banbridge Council that the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman have been held by women.
Election results
Elections of the entire council are held every four years. The number of seats won by each party is shown below. An election was due in 2009, but this was delayed until 2011 so as to accommodate the completion a local-government reform programme aimed at reducing the number of council areas from 26 to 11. The proposed amalgamation was abandoned in 2010, and so the 2011 electionsNorthern Ireland local elections, 2011
The most recent Northern Ireland local government elections took place on Thursday 5 May 2011.European Union and Commonwealth citizens who were aged 18 or over on election day were entitled to vote...
returned members for the original 26 councils.
| Party | 1973 | 1977 | 1981 | 1985 | 1989 | 1993 | 1997 | 2001 | 2005 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UUP Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| DUP Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the... |
0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom... |
1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| SF Sinn Féin Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970... |
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 HoweTyrone Howe
Tyrone Gyle Howe is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for University of St Andrews RFC, Ulster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions....
resigned due to work commitments. The resulting by election was the first electoral test for Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European...
. Against expectations, the UUP held the seat.
| Dromore By-Election – 14 February 2008 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | ||||
| Paul Stewart | 1069 | 1074 | 1127 | 1178 | 1508 | |||||
| Carol Black | 912 | 937 | 1119 | 1194 | 1571 | |||||
| Keith Harbinson | 739 | 742 | 801 | 828 | -828 | |||||
| David Griffin | 357 | 479 | -479 | |||||||
| Paul Gribben | 350 | 507 | 567 | -567 | ||||||
| John Drake | 290 | -290 | ||||||||
| Helen Corry | 59 | -59 | ||||||||
Parliamentary and assembly representation
In elections for the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland AssemblyNorthern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
the district is split between the Upper Bann
Upper Bann (UK Parliament constituency)
Upper Bann is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current Member of Parliament for Upper Bann is David Simpson.-Boundaries:...
(Ballydown, Banbridge West, Edenderry, Fort, Gilford, Lawrencetown, Loughbrickland, Seapatrick, The Cut), the Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Lagan Valley is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.- Boundaries :The seat was created in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from parts of South Antrim and North Down. In their original...
(Dromore North, Dromore South, Gransha and Quilly) and the South Down
South Down (UK Parliament constituency)
South Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The county constituency was first created in 1885 from the southern part of Down...
(Ballyward, Bannside, Katesbridge and Rathfriland) constituencies.
Review of local government
As part of the review of public administration in Northern IrelandProposed reform of local government in Northern Ireland
The proposed reform of local government in Northern Ireland would have seen the replacement of the twenty-six districts created in 1973 with a smaller number of "super districts"...
begun in 2002, plans were developed to merge Banbridge District Council with neighbouring council areas. According to the first seven-council model, announced in late 2005, it was proposed that Banbridge District should be merged with three other councils (Armagh
Armagh City and District Council
Armagh City and District Council is a district council in County Armagh in Northern Ireland. It includes the city of Armagh, as well as the surrounding area and its population is about 54,000. City status was officially conferred in 1995...
, Craigavon
Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council is a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. The headquarters of the council is in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area includes the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as...
and Newry and Mourne
Newry and Mourne District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. It includes much of the south of County Armagh and the south of County Down and has a population of approximately 93,400. Council headquarters are in Newry, the largest settlement and only city in the area; it has a...
). In June 2007 a second, 11-council reform proposal was announced according to which most of the area now covered by Banbridge District would be merged with Armagh City and District Council
Armagh City and District Council
Armagh City and District Council is a district council in County Armagh in Northern Ireland. It includes the city of Armagh, as well as the surrounding area and its population is about 54,000. City status was officially conferred in 1995...
and Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Borough Council is a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. The headquarters of the council is in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area includes the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as...
. While some aspects of the review of public administration are proceeding that will affect the character of local councils in Northern Ireland, for example the transfer of the majority of planning functions from central government to district councils, the plans for local-government amalgamation have been put (perhaps indefinitely) on hold.
Local media
Currently the district is served by four local newspapers: the Banbridge Chronicle (established 1870), the Dromore Leader, the Banbridge Leader, and the County Down Outlook (established 1940). A year-round community radio station, 102.4 Shine FM, also broadcasts from Banbridge. Since 2007, a second community radio station, called fUSe FM, based in RathfrilandRathfriland
Rathfriland is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a hilltop Plantation of Ulster settlement between the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Croob and Banbridge. It had a population of 2,079 people in the 2001 Census.-History:...
has also been operating, though up to now it has run for a limited number of days each year.
Banbridge district and the Troubles
Like all other parts of Northern Ireland, Banbridge District was not unaffected by the TroublesThe Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. Between 1969 and 2001 twelve individuals (six Catholic, six Protestant) lost their lives in the district as a result of the Troubles: Patrick Campbell in 1973, Joseph Toland in 1975, William, Elizabeth, and Noleen Herron, and Barry O’Dowd in 1976, Robert Harrison in 1977, Alan McCrum in 1982, John Bell in 1985, Terence Delaney in 1988, and Patrick Feeny and Loughlin Maginn in 1989. During the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
two bombs exploded in the district, both in Banbridge. The first was in 1982, as a result of which Alan McCrum died. Two weeks before the Omagh bombing
Omagh bombing
The Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army , a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, on Saturday 15 August 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Twenty-nine people died as a...
, on August 1 1998, a second car bomb planted by the Real IRA
Real Irish Republican Army
The Real Irish Republican Army, otherwise known as the Real IRA , and styling itself as Óglaigh na hÉireann , is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation which aims to bring about a united Ireland...
exploded in Banbridge town centre. While this second bomb caused a great deal of structural damage, no one was killed.
See also
- Local government in Northern IrelandLocal government in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...