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1973 Northern Ireland local elections

FieldValue
election_name1973 Northern Ireland local elections
typeparliamentary
countryNorthern Ireland
ongoingno
next_election1977 Northern Ireland local elections
next_year1977
seats_for_electionAll 526 seats to 26 local authorities
election_date30 May 1973
leader1**Brian Faulkner**
party1Ulster Unionist Party
seats1**216**
popular_vote1**278,084**
percentage1**40.2%**
<!-- SDLP -->image2
leader2Gerry Fitt
party2Social Democratic and Labour Party
seats282
popular_vote292,600
percentage213.4%
<!-- Alliance -->image4
leader4Oliver Napier
party4Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
seats463
popular_vote494,474
percentage413.7%
<!-- Democratic Unionist -->image5[[File:Ian Paisley 1970.png160x160px]]
leader5Ian Paisley
party5Democratic Unionist Party
seats521
popular_vote527,578
percentage54.0%
map{{Switcher

| [[File:Northern Ireland local elections, 1973 (Council Control).svg|250px]] | Council control | [[File:Northern Ireland local elections, 1973 (Largest party).svg|250px]] | Party with the most seats | [[File:1973 Northern Ireland local elections by DEA.png|250px]] | Party with the most first preference votes by District Electoral Area (darker colours indicate majority)

Local government in Northern Ireland was reorganised in 1973 by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The county councils, county borough and municipal borough corporations and urban and rural district councils were replaced by twenty-six local government districts.

Elections took place for all the seats on the district councils on 30 May 1973. Elections were by proportional representation, using the single transferable vote system. The district councils came into their powers on 1 October.

Results

Overall

PartyCouncillorsVotesNotesTotal+/-% shareTotal
216*N/A*40.2278,084
63*N/A*13.792,600
82*N/A*13.494,474
Loyalist coalitions53*N/A*9.666,027
55*N/A*7.853,448
21*N/A*4.027,578
11*N/A*3.322,591
4*N/A*2.517,274
6*N/A*1.510,639
6*N/A*1.510,281
5*N/A*1.49,993
4*N/A*0.53,784
0*N/A*0.42,594
0*N/A*0.1704
0*N/A*0.1599
0*N/A*0.1363
0*N/A*0.0290
**Total**526100.0%691,323

On 21 March 1973, Ian Paisley, William Craig and Laurence Orr announced the creation of a united front to oppose the White Paper, a British government document that had proposed a power-sharing administration and a Council of Ireland to replace the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

Craig and Paisley had initially announced that their parties would not be contesting the local elections - but in practice, candidates from their parties did run, under their own party banners, but in many cases they opted to run under various 'loyalist' labels instead alongside anti-White Paper UUP members, non-party unionists, and localist unionists. The 'loyalist' labels included 'Loyalist', 'United Loyalist', 'Loyalist Coalition', 'Unionist Unity', 'United Unionist' and 'United Loyalist Coalition'.

Depending on the area, the candidates under the various 'loyalist' labels were supported by a coalition of some or all of Vanguard, the DUP, anti-White Paper UUP members, the Loyalist Association of Workers, the Orange Order, the Ulster Defence Association, the Loyalist Defence Volunteers, the Ulster Special Constabulary Association, and the Ulster Protestant Volunteers. In some cases, candidates under the DUP and Vanguard banners were running in the same areas as candidates under the various 'loyalist' labels.

In this election, many UUP candidates used the label "Unionist", while others used the label "Official Unionist". Candidates under both labels were identified as being UUP candidates by contemporary sources, with the difference in some places signifying whether the candidate supported the "official" party line on the White Paper.

Party seats by council

CouncilUUP(U)SDLPAPLOYDUPRCNILPVUPPUnityNatIndIndTotalUNOLargest blocLargest partyTotal21782635321114664555527301103122Unionist majority of council seatsUUP plurality of council seats
[Antrim](1973-antrim-district-council-election)**9**211215**11**04**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Belfast City](1973-belfast-city-council-election)**25**783222251**32**910**Unionist majority****UUP plurality**
[Ards](1973-ards-borough-council-election)**11**1211117**12**14**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Armagh](1973-armagh-district-council-election)**11**4121120**13**52**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Ballymena](1973-ballymena-borough-council-election)**9**151521**15**06**Unionist majority****UUP plurality**
[Ballymoney](1973-ballymoney-district-council-election)***6***211***6***16***7***2***7*****Unionist/Other plurality****UUP/Ind** **plurality**
[Banbridge](1973-banbridge-district-council-election)**12**1316**12**13**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Carrickfergus](1973-carrickfergus-borough-council-election)53**6**115**11**04**Unionist majority****Loyalist plurality**
[Castlereagh](1973-castlereagh-district-council-election)1053119**13**06**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Coleraine](1973-coleraine-borough-council-election)13132120**14**15**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Cookstown](1973-cookstown-district-council-election)**8**311215**9**42**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Craigavon](1973-craigavon-borough-council-election)**10**24332125**18**25**Unionist majority****UUP plurality**
[Down](1973-down-district-council-election)*8****8***21120**9**83**Unionist plurality****UUP/SDLP plurality**
[Dungannon](1973-dungannon-district-council-election)**11**52220**11**90**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Fermanagh](1973-fermanagh-district-council-election)**8**4142120**10**82**Unionist plurality****UUP majority**
[Larne](1973-larne-borough-council-election)138315**9**06**Unionist majority****Loyalist majority**
[Limavady](1973-limavady-district-council-election)428115**8**43**Unionist majority****Loyalist majority**
[Lisburn](1973-lisburn-borough-council-election)**14**134123**19**13**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[Londonderry](1973-londonderry-city-council-election)**10**4913279**14**4**Nationalist majority****SDLP plurality**
[Magherafelt](1973-magherafelt-district-council-election)5**6**1111156**7**1**Nationalist plurality****SDLP plurality**
[Moyle](1973-moyle-district-council-election)5291652**9****Other majority****Ind majority**
[Newry and Mourne](1973-newry-and-mourne-district-council-election)3**13**428303**15**12**Nationalist plurality****SDLP plurality**
[Newtownabbey](1973-newtownabbey-district-council-election)**12**323121**17**04**Unionist majority****UUP majority**
[North Down](1973-north-down-borough-council-election)**9**7420**13**07**Unionist majority****UUP plurality**
[Omagh](1973-omagh-district-council-election)**6**43211320**8**66**Unionist plurality****UUP plurality**
[Strabane](1973-strabane-district-council-election)**6**421215**7**44**Unionist plurality****UUP plurality**

Votes by council

UUP(U)SDLPAPLOYDUPRCNILPVUPPUnityNatRep LabCPILiberalIrish LabourIndIndIndTotal
Council
[Antrim](1973-antrim-district-council-election)7,0383432,2917482878662,663
[Belfast City](1973-belfast-city-council-election)83,65818,82722,08111,0973,8606,5849,0462,5942111728785,964
[Ards](1973-ards-borough-council-election)11,4991,1803,1331,6081,1141,510167895
[Armagh](1973-armagh-district-council-election)10,4055,2001,7852,6011,0705831531,130
[Ballymena](1973-ballymena-borough-council-election)8,6881,4695,6074381,2765,466
[Ballymoney](1973-ballymoney-district-council-election)3,7758246796872,850
[Banbridge](1973-banbridge-district-council-election)9,6221,1838501702,972
[Carrickfergus](1973-carrickfergus-borough-council-election)3,4402,7164,4024721,129
[Castlereagh](1973-castlereagh-district-council-election)14,2826,2485,2151,564344904
[Coleraine](1973-coleraine-borough-council-election)12,4511,4832,8693256592002,6771,121
[Cookstown](1973-cookstown-district-council-election)6,4282,6719251,6521,7411,276
[Craigavon](1973-craigavon-borough-council-election)11,5892,0925,0143,0962,9401,8793633,2461,205
[Down](1973-down-district-council-election)8,9308,1012,8475631,6391,046
[Dungannon](1973-dungannon-district-council-election)11,4224,9131,3481,3502252,2971,047162
[Fermanagh](1973-fermanagh-district-council-election)8,4123,5402,2852,0081,4957,2123,4061,496
[Larne](1973-larne-borough-council-election)1,0365433,4116,4111821,814
[Limavady](1973-limavady-district-council-election)3,4851,3055,535483810
[Lisburn](1973-lisburn-borough-council-election)15,9791,7215,9165,4827492,166445204
[Londonderry](1973-londonderry-city-council-election)11,0084,93012,4832,091882,85042571
[Magherafelt](1973-magherafelt-district-council-election)4,9785,5207881,7491,5621,0833771,074
[Moyle](1973-moyle-district-council-election)1,814799334773,644
[Newry and Mourne](1973-newry-and-mourne-district-council-election)3,75710,2913,9393,1602882907,054381
[Newtownabbey](1973-newtownabbey-district-council-election)14,0705085,5652,2524,1581,7931,090
[North Down](1973-north-down-borough-council-election)12,2927,6914,6381481,282
[Omagh](1973-omagh-district-council-election)5,3993,2792,2982,5087402429343,250147
[Strabane](1973-strabane-district-council-election)7,1205,0891,7571,0487092,575
Total278,08492,60094,47466,02727,57822,59117,27410,63910,2813,7842,59421170429053,6009,993599

Notes

References

References

  1. [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm Local Government Elections 1973 (Ark Social & Political Archive)]
  2. ''Big Roman Catholic turnout in poll despite threats'', The Times, 31 May 1973
  3. ''Party accused over Ulster poll'', The Times, 31 May 1973
  4. ''Unionist supporters elect many hard-line men in Ulster local government poll'', The Times, 2 June 1973
  5. [http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm Local Government Elections 1973], Northern Ireland Elections
  6. (6 June 1973). "Londonderry Sentinel - Omagh: Mixed bag result".
  7. (4 May 1973). "Belfast News-Letter - Line-up for the election".
  8. (29 May 1973). "Belfast Telegraph - Polling Guide".
  9. (4 May 1973). "Belfast Telegraph - Few Quit Poll".
  10. (21 March 1973). "No To White Paper".
  11. (8 May 1973). "Derry Journal - A New Phase".
  12. (4 May 1973). "Belfast News-Letter - Larne Unionists to split".
  13. (13 April 1973). "Derry Journal - Derry "Loyalists" Unite".
  14. (4 May 1973). "Banbridge Chronicle - The Line Up For The Election".
  15. (31 May 1973). "Belfast Telegraph".
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