Northern Ireland local elections, 1977
Encyclopedia
Elections for local government
were held in Northern Ireland
in May 1977.
The elections saw good performances by the four largest parties: the Ulster Unionist Party
(UUP), Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP), Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
and Democratic Unionist Party
(DUP), while smaller parties failed to make a breakthrough. The DUP took control of their first council, Ballymena, while the UUP retained control of Banbridge. The SDLP lost control of Magherafelt
, their only council.
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...
were held 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...
in May 1977.
The elections saw good performances by the four largest parties: the Ulster Unionist Party
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...
(UUP), Social Democratic and Labour Party
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...
(SDLP), Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
and Democratic Unionist Party
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...
(DUP), while smaller parties failed to make a breakthrough. The DUP took control of their first council, Ballymena, while the UUP retained control of Banbridge. The SDLP lost control of Magherafelt
Magherafelt District Council
Magherafelt District Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Council headquarters are in Magherafelt. The Council area stretches from Lough Neagh and the River Bann in the east and into the Sperrin Mountains in the west and is divided by the Moyola River. It covers...
, their only council.
Overall
| Party | Councillors | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | +/- | % share | Total | ||
| 176 | -18 | 30.0 | 166,971 | ||
| 113 | +31 | 20.6 | 114,775 | ||
| 70 | +7 | 14.4 | 80,282 | ||
| 74 | +53 | 12.8 | 70,670 | ||
| 42 | -10 | 7.6 | 42,841 | ||
| 12 | N/A | 2.8 | 15,831 | ||
| 6 | -2 | 2.6 | 14,277 | ||
| 6 | N/A | 2.5 | 13,691 | ||
| 10 | -16 | 1.7 | 9,202 | ||
| 5 | -5 | 1.5 | 8,135 | ||
| 2 | -4 | 1.0 | 5,528 | ||
| 1 | -3 | 0.8 | 4,960 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 2,836 | ||
| 2 | -14 | 0.3 | 2,534 | ||
| 1 | -2 | 0.3 | 1,731 | ||
| British Ulster Dominion British Ulster Dominion Party The British Ulster Dominion Party was a minor political party in Northern Ireland during the 1970s.The party began in 1975 as the Ulster Dominion Group, when Professor Kennedy Lindsay broke from the United Ulster Unionist movement , itself a breakaway from the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party to... |
0 | N/A | 0.1 | 644 | |
| United Ratepayer | 1 | N/A | 0.1 | 635 | |
| 1 | +1 | 0.1 | 484 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 321 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 227 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 115 | ||
| 0 | N/A | 0.0 | 107 | ||
Belfast
| Belfast A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Basil Glass Basil Glass Basil Glass was a politician in Northern Ireland.Born in County Leitrim, Glass studied at Queen's University Belfast; he qualified as a solicitor in 1950 and became a prominent lawyer. He was elected joint treasurer of the New Ulster Movement, with fellow solicitor Oliver Napier, in 1969... |
2,580 | ||
| Grace Bannister Grace Bannister Grace Bannister, OBE, was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Bannister was elected to Belfast Corporation in 1965, representing the Ulster Unionist Party . She stood as an independent Unionist in Belfast South at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973, after failing to secure an... |
2,367 | ||
| Raymond McCrea | 1,912 | ||
| Robert J. Newman | 1,549 | ||
| Alasdair McDonnell Alasdair McDonnell Dr Alasdair McDonnell is an Irish politician, Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and both a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and a Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Belfast. On 5 November, 2011, he was elected as the new leader of the SDLP.-Early... |
1,364 | ||
| Billy Blair | 1,026 | ||
| T. Jordan | 954 | ||
| Ben Horan | 954 | ||
| Dennis Loretto | 667 | ||
| B. Garrett | 594 | ||
| T. Gildea | 483 | ||
| W. Shannon | 452 | ||
| W. Elliot | 379 | ||
| A. Shaw | 378 | ||
| P. Moles | 345 | ||
| T. W. McGrattan | 278 | ||
| D. Peters | 93 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
16,898 | ||
| Social Democratic and Labour 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... gain from Labour (NI) Northern Ireland Labour Party The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland... |
|||
| Democratic Unionist 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... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Democratic Unionist 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... gain from Vanguard |
|||
| Alliance Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons.... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Belfast B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Joshua Cardwell Joshua Cardwell Joshua Cardwell was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Born in Belfast and educated locally, Cardwell worked as the manager of a coal importing firm. In 1952 he was elected to Belfast City Council for Victoria Ward and later became an Alderman... |
2,722 | ||
| Oliver Napier Oliver Napier Sir Oliver Napier was the first leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. In 1974 he served as the first and only Legal Minister and head of the Office of Legal Reform in the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive set up by the Sunningdale Agreement.-Early life:Napier was educated at St... |
2,703 | ||
| Tommy Patton | 2,209 | ||
| Michael Brown | 2,045 | ||
| John Allen | 1,903 | ||
| H. B. Evans | 1,058 | ||
| Reg Empey Reg Empey Reginald Norman Morgan Empey, Baron Empey of Shandon, OBE, – known as Sir Reg Empey prior to 2011 – is a former Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast... |
981 | ||
| T. McIntyre | 920 | ||
| D. Wonnacott | 781 | ||
| William Corry | 664 | ||
| W. J. Gunning | 631 | ||
| Dorothy Dunlop Dorothy Dunlop Dorothy Dunlop is a former Ulster Unionist and Conservative politician.Dunlop worked in the Arts Council in London and the for BBC Northern Ireland... |
622 | ||
| J. Hanna | 541 | ||
| S. Morgan | 237 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
18,741 | ||
| Unionist Party NI Unionist Party of Northern Ireland The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974.-Formation:The party emerged following splits in the Ulster Unionist Party in 1973 and 1974 over the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, the Northern... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Democratic Unionist 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... gain from United Loyalist |
|||
| Alliance Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons.... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Belfast C | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| David Cook David Cook (politician) David Cook is a former politician in Northern Ireland.Cook works as a solicitor, eventually becoming a senior partner at Sheldon and Stewart Solicitors.... |
2,748 | ||
| Victor Brennan | 1,446 | ||
| Andrew Cairns | 1,287 | ||
| Muriel Pritchard | 1,274 | ||
| Margaret Crooks | 1,142 | ||
| M. O. Scott | 923 | ||
| W. H. Jeffrey | 892 | ||
| A. McMeekin | 872 | ||
| R. Jordan | 780 | ||
| John William Kennedy John William Kennedy John William Kennedy was an Ulster Unionist member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. He represented Belfast Cromac from 1962-1973.... |
630 | ||
| W. D. Gilmore | 619 | ||
| W. Spence | 604 | ||
| J. Webster | 340 | ||
| Macartney | 330 | ||
| W. Weir | 313 | ||
| R. A. W. Johnston | 199 | ||
| J. Robinson | 119 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
15,041 | ||
| Alliance Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons.... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Unionist Party NI Unionist Party of Northern Ireland The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974.-Formation:The party emerged following splits in the Ulster Unionist Party in 1973 and 1974 over the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, the Northern... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Belfast D | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Paddy Devlin Paddy Devlin Paddy Devlin was a Northern Irish social democrat and Labour activist, a former Stormont MP, a founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and a member of the 1974 Power Sharing Executive.-Early life:... |
7,087 | ||
| Dan McGuinness | 1,235 | ||
| Bernard McDonagh | 942 | ||
| Cormac Boomer | 905 | ||
| Mary Sullivan | 760 | ||
| M. Lynch | 723 | ||
| R. Turkington | 575 | ||
| K. Smyth | 527 | ||
| W. Hunter | 477 | ||
| G. Campbell | 107 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
14,932 | ||
| No change | |||
| Belfast E | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Billy Bell Billy Bell (politician) William Bradshaw "Billy" Bell, OBE, JP is an Unionist politician from Northern Ireland and former Lord Mayor of Belfast.He served as a Councillor on Belfast City Council from 1976 to 1985 and was Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1979 to 1980... |
3,297 | ||
| Jimmy Weir | 2,184 | ||
| Fred Proctor | 1,755 | ||
| Alfred Egerton | 1,223 | ||
| Hugh Smyth Hugh Smyth Cllr Hugh Smyth is a former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party. He is a long-serving member of Belfast City Council and former Lord Mayor of Belfast. He is also the longest-serving member of the council, having represented the Upper Shankill areas since 1973... |
1,140 | ||
| G. Chambers | 809 | ||
| H. Stackman | 718 | ||
| W. Lavery | 715 | ||
| D. Smylie | 667 | ||
| J. Sands | 412 | ||
| Alfie Ferguson | 366 | ||
| Peter Emerson | 236 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
14,228 | ||
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... gain from United Loyalist |
|||
| Ulster Unionist 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... gain from Labour (NI) Northern Ireland Labour Party The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland... |
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| Belfast F | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Owen Allen | 1,886 | ||
| James Stewart | 1,681 | ||
| Jim Sullivan | 1,099 | ||
| Harry Fletcher | 1,081 | ||
| Will Glendinning Will Glendinning Will Glendinning is a former politician in Northern Ireland. He is now the Coordinator of Diversity Challenges an independent community organization working on community relations and cultural diversity [www.diversity-challenges.com]... |
1,077 | ||
| Billy Dickson | 949 | ||
| T. Lappin | 899 | ||
| J. H. Parkes | 525 | ||
| T. G. Murphy | 369 | ||
| S. O'Hare | 306 | ||
| J. Stewart | 115 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
11,040 | ||
| Alliance Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons.... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
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| Belfast G | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Gerry Fitt Gerry Fitt Gerard Fitt, Baron Fitt was a politician in Northern Ireland. He was a founder and the first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party , a social democratic and Irish nationalist party.-Early years:... |
3,006 | ||
| Frederick Ashby | 1,377 | ||
| Seamus Lynch Seamus Lynch Seamus Lynch is a former Irish republican and socialist politician.Born in North Belfast, Lynch became a republican activist around the start of The Troubles, and sided with the Official wing of Sinn Féin in the split of 1970. He was imprisoned from October 1971 until the following year... |
1,323 | ||
| Herbert Ditty Herbert Ditty Herbert Ditty was a lifelong Ulster Unionist politician, representing the Shankill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland.Ditty was a founding member of the Ulster Protestant Action executive in the 1950s.... |
1,043 | ||
| Cecil Walker Cecil Walker Sir Alfred Cecil Walker was an Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast from 1983 to 2001.Walker was born in Belfast. His father was a police constable. He was educated at Everton elementary school, Model Boys' school and Belfast Methodist College. He worked for the Belfast timber... |
779 | ||
| G. A. Haffey | 742 | ||
| M. Laird | 592 | ||
| Sammy Millar | 515 | ||
| H. H. Kidd | 387 | ||
| McKeown | 320 | ||
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
10,970 | ||
| Democratic Unionist 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... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
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| Republican Clubs gain from Independent Unionist Independent Unionist See also Independent .Independent Unionist has been a label sometimes used by candidates in elections in the United Kingdom, indicating a support for Unionism, retaining the unity of the British state.... |
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| Belfast H | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | 1st Pref | |
| Paschal O'Hare Paschal O'Hare Paschal O'Hare is a solicitor and former Irish nationalist politician.O'Hare joined the Social Democratic and Labour Party , and he narrowly missed out on being elected to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention for Belfast West. In 1977, he was elected to Belfast City Council, holding his... |
2,414 | ||
| Frank Millar Frank Millar Frank Millar was a Northern Irish unionist politician.Millar worked in the shipyards, where he became a shop steward, before becoming a founder member of Ulster Protestant Action in 1956.... |
2,321 | ||
| John Carson John Carson (politician) John Carson is a former Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician.A draper who owned a shop in the interface area of the Duncairn Gardens in north Belfast, Carson was elected to Belfast City Council in 1973. The following year he was elected as a member of the United Ulster Unionist... |
2,250 | ||
| Myles Humphreys Myles Humphreys Sir Myles Humphreys, JP, DL was a Northern Irish Ulster Unionist Party politician and activist, and an engineer and businessman.... |
1,942 | ||
| John Cushnahan John Cushnahan John Walls Cushnahan is a former politician in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland who served as leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and then as a Member of the European Parliament for Fine Gael.... |
1,865 | ||
| William Annon | 1,507 | ||
| Alban Maginness Alban Maginness Alban Maginness is a Nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.Maginness was born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He completed his secondary education at St. Malachy's College, Belfast. He then attended the New University of Ulster and subsequently Queen's University of Belfast where... |
1,099 | ||
| R. O. Jamison | 944 | ||
| Andy Carr | 502 | ||
| J. E. Gibson | 462 | ||
| Cynthia McDowell | 441 | ||
| J. S. Kennet | 439 | ||
| Mary Creighton | 331 | ||
| Dominion Party | A. Beattie | 114 | |
| Turnout Voter turnout Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s... |
17,316 | ||
| Alliance Alliance Party of Northern Ireland The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons.... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Democratic Unionist 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... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
|||
| Independent Unionist Independent Unionist See also Independent .Independent Unionist has been a label sometimes used by candidates in elections in the United Kingdom, indicating a support for Unionism, retaining the unity of the British state.... gain from Ulster Unionist 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... |
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