1973 Northern Ireland local elections

tOP

1973 Northern Ireland local elections
30 May 1973
All 526 seats to 26 local authorities
  First party Second party
 
SDLP
Leader Brian Faulkner Gerry Fitt
Party UUP SDLP
Seats won 216 82
Popular vote 278,084 92,600
Percentage 40.2% 13.4%
  Third party Fourth party
 
APNI
Leader Oliver Napier Ian Paisley
Party Alliance DUP
Seats won 63 21
Popular vote 94,474 27,578
Percentage 13.7% 4.0%
Politics of Northern Ireland
Interim bodies
Elections
Members
See also

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.[1][2][3][4]

Results

Overall

Party[5] Councillors Votes Notes
Total +/- % share Total
UUP 216 N/A 40.2 278,084 [i]
Alliance 63 N/A 13.7 92,600
SDLP 82 N/A 13.4 94,474
Loyalist coalitions 53 N/A 9.6 66,027 [ii][6]
Independent 55 N/A 7.8 53,448 [iii]
DUP 21 N/A 4.0 27,578 [iv]
Republican Clubs 11 N/A 3.3 22,591 [v][7][8]
NI Labour 4 N/A 2.5 17,274
Vanguard 6 N/A 1.5 10,639 [vi][9]
Unity 6 N/A 1.5 10,281
Ind. Unionist 5 N/A 1.4 9,993 [vii][9]
Nationalist 4 N/A 0.5 3,784
Republican Labour 0 N/A 0.4 2,594
Ulster Liberal 0 N/A 0.1 704
Ind. Nationalist 0 N/A 0.1 599
Communist 0 N/A 0.1 363
Irish Labour 0 N/A 0.0 290
Total 526 Steady 100.0% 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.[10]

Craig and Paisley had initially announced that their parties would not be contesting the local elections[11] - 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',[6] 'United Unionist'[6] 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,[12] the Ulster Special Constabulary Association, and the Ulster Protestant Volunteers.[13] 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.[14][15]

Party seats by council

Council UUP(U) SDLP

(N)

AP

(O)

LOY

(U)

DUP

(U)

RC

(N)

NILP

(O)

VUPP

(U)

Unity

(N)

Nat

(N)

Ind Ind

(U)

Total U N O Largest bloc Largest party
Antrim 9 2 1 1 2 15 11 0 4 Unionist majority UUP majority
Belfast City 25 7 8 3 2 2 2 2 51 32 9 10 Unionist majority UUP plurality
Ards 11 1 2 1 1 1 17 12 1 4 Unionist majority UUP majority
Armagh 11 4 1 2 1 1 20 13 5 2 Unionist majority UUP majority
Ballymena 9 1 5 1 5 21 15 0 6 Unionist majority UUP plurality
Ballymoney 6 2 1 1 6 16 7 2 7 Unionist/Other plurality UUP/Ind plurality
Banbridge 12 1 3 16 12 1 3 Unionist majority UUP majority
Carrickfergus 5 3 6 1 15 11 0 4 Unionist majority Loyalist plurality
Castlereagh 10 5 3 1 19 13 0 6 Unionist majority UUP majority
Coleraine 13 1 3 2 1 20 14 1 5 Unionist majority UUP majority
Cookstown 8 3 1 1 2 15 9 4 2 Unionist majority UUP majority
Craigavon 10 2 4 3 3 2 1 25 18 2 5 Unionist majority UUP plurality
Down 8 8 2 1 1 20 9 8 3 Unionist plurality UUP/SDLP plurality
Dungannon 11 5 2 2 20 11 9 0 Unionist majority UUP majority
Fermanagh 8 4 1 4 2 1 20 10 8 2 Unionist plurality UUP majority
Larne 1 3 8 3 15 9 0 6 Unionist majority Loyalist majority
Limavady 4 2 8 1 15 8 4 3 Unionist majority Loyalist majority
Lisburn 14 1 3 4 1 23 19 1 3 Unionist majority UUP majority
Londonderry 10 4 9 1 3 27 9 14 4 Nationalist majority SDLP plurality
Magherafelt 4 6 1 1 1 1 14 6 7 1 Nationalist plurality SDLP plurality
Moyle 5 2 9 16 5 2 9 Other majority Ind majority
Newry and Mourne 3 13 4 2 8 30 3 15 12 Nationalist plurality SDLP plurality
Newtownabbey 12 3 2 3 1 21 17 0 4 Unionist majority UUP majority
North Down 9 7 4 20 13 0 7 Unionist majority UUP plurality
Omagh 6 4 3 2 1 1 3 20 8 6 6 Unionist plurality UUP plurality
Strabane 6 4 2 1 2 15 7 4 4 Unionist plurality UUP plurality
Total 216 82 63 53 21 11 4 6 6 4 55 5 526 301 103 122 Unionist majority of council seats UUP plurality of council seats

Votes by council

Council UUP(U) SDLP

(N)

AP

(O)

LOY

(U)

DUP

(U)

RC

(N)

NILP

(O)

VUPP

(U)

Unity

(N)

Nat

(N)

Rep Lab

(N)

CPI

(O)

Liberal

(O)

Irish Labour

(O)

Ind Ind

(U)

Ind

(N)

Total
Antrim 7,038 343 2,291 748 287 866 2,663 14,236
Belfast City 83,658 18,827 22,081 11,097 3,860 6,584 9,046 2,594 211 172 878 5,964 164,972
Ards 11,499 1,180 3,133 1,608 1,114 1,510 167 895 21,106
Armagh 10,405 5,200 1,785 2,601 1,070 583 153 1,130 22,927
Ballymena 8,688 1,469 5,607 438 1,276 5,466 22,944
Ballymoney 3,775 824 679 687 2,850 8,815
Banbridge 9,622 1,183 850 170 2,972 14,797
Carrickfergus 3,440 2,716 4,402 472 1,129 12,159
Castlereagh 14,282 6,248 5,215 1,564 344 904 28,557
Coleraine 12,451 1,483 2,869 325 659 200 2,677 1,121 21,785
Cookstown 6,428 2,671 925 1,652 1,741 1,276 14,693
Craigavon 11,589 2,092 5,014 3,096 2,940 1,879 363 3,246 1,205 31,424
Down 8,930 8,101 2,847 563 1,639 1,046 23,126
Dungannon 11,422 4,913 1,348 1,350 225 2,297 1,047 162 22,764
Fermanagh 8,412 3,540 2,285 2,008 1,495 7,212 3,406 1,496 29,854
Larne 1,036 543 3,411 6,411 182 1,814 13,397
Limavady 3,485 1,305 5,535 483 810 11,618
Lisburn 15,979 1,721 5,916 5,482 749 2,166 445 204 32,662
Londonderry 11,008 4,930 12,483 2,091 88 2,850 425 71 33,946
Magherafelt 4,978 5,520 788 1,749 1,562 1,083 377 1,074 17,131
Moyle 1,814 799 334 77 3,644 6,668
Newry and Mourne 3,757 10,291 3,939 3,160 288 290 7,054 381 29,160
Newtownabbey 14,070 508 5,565 2,252 4,158 1,793 1,090 29,436
North Down 12,292 7,691 4,638 148 1,282 26,051
Omagh 5,399 3,279 2,298 2,508 740 242 934 3,250 147 18,797
Strabane 7,120 5,089 1,757 1,048 709 2,575 18,298
Total 278,084 92,600 94,474 66,027 27,578 22,591 17,274 10,639 10,281 3,784 2,594 211 704 290 53,600 9,993 599 691,323

Notes

  1. ^ Includes candidates labelled "Official Unionist" and "Unionist".
  2. ^ Includes candidates labelled "United Loyalist", "Loyalist", "Loyalist Coalition", "United Loyalist Coalition", "Unionist Unity", "United Unionist" and "Unionist Coalition". Usually endorsed by Vanguard, the DUP, or both, depending on area.
  3. ^ Includes candidates labelled "Non Party", "Non Party Community", "Independent Ratepayer", "Non Party Independent Radical", "Non Party Tenants and Community Association", "Non Party Abolish 11 Plus", "Non Party Sports and Development Council", and "Independent Labour".
  4. ^ Includes candidates labelled as "Loyalist and Democratic Unionist".
  5. ^ Includes candidates nominated as "Republican" and "Official Republican". Contemporary sources indicate both labels refer to Republican Clubs candidates.
  6. ^ Includes candidates labelled as "Vanguard Loyalist", with the exception of one candidate in Down, for whom the Belfast Telegraph deemed it erroneous to describe as VUPP.
  7. ^ Includes candidates labelled "Independent Unionist", "Independent United Loyalist" and a single "Vanguard Loyalist" in Down (a contemporary report from the Belfast Telegraph suggests it is erroneous to refer to this candidate as a VUPP candidate).

References

  1. ^ 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. ^ Local Government Elections 1973, Northern Ireland Elections
  6. ^ a b c "Londonderry Sentinel - Omagh: Mixed bag result". British Newspaper Archive. 6 June 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Belfast News-Letter - Line-up for the election". British Newspaper Archive. 4 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Belfast Telegraph - Polling Guide". British Newspaper Archive. 29 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Belfast Telegraph - Few Quit Poll". British Newspaper Archive. 4 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  10. ^ "No To White Paper". RTÉ. 21 March 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Derry Journal - A New Phase". British Newspaper Archive. 8 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Belfast News-Letter - Larne Unionists to split". British Newspaper Archive. 4 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Derry Journal - Derry "Loyalists" Unite". British Newspaper Archive. 13 April 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Banbridge Chronicle - The Line Up For The Election". British Newspaper Archive. 4 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Belfast Telegraph". British Newspaper Archive. 31 May 1973. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
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