1973 Northern Ireland local elections

Politics of Northern Ireland

Interim bodies

* Northern Ireland Assembly (1973)
* Northern Ireland Executive (1974)
* Constitutional Convention (1975)
* Northern Ireland Assembly (1982)
* Northern Ireland Forum (1996)

Elections

* 1973
* 1975
* 1982
* 1996

Members

* 1973
* 1975
* 1982
* 1996

See also

* Anglo-Irish Agreement
* New Ireland Forum
* 1986 Northern Ireland by-elections
* 1973 Northern Ireland border poll

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

1973 Northern Ireland local elections

* * *

|  | 30 May 1973 | 1977 ->

|
|

* * *

All council seats
|  | First party  | Second party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |  |
Leader  | Brian Faulkner | Gerry Fitt | Oliver Napier
Party  | UUP | SDLP | Alliance
Seats won  | 194  | 82  | 63
Popular vote  | 255,187 | 92,600  | 94,474
Percentage  | 37.4% | 13.4%  | 13.7%

* * *

| Fourth party  | Fifth party  | Sixth party
|  |  |
Leader  | N/A  | N/A  | Ian Paisley
Party  | Independent | Ind. Unionist | DUP
Seats won  | 52  | 26  | 21
Popular vote  | 48,947  | 31,866  | 28,811
Percentage  | 7.0%  | 4.4%  | 4.1%

* * *

Colours denote the winning party with outright control

* * *

Colours denote the party with the most seats

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

[edit]

### Overall

[edit]

Party[5] | Councillors  | Votes

|
|

Total  | +/-  | % share  | Total
| UUP | 194  | N/A | 37.4  | 255,187
| Alliance | 63  | N/A | 13.7  | 94,474
| SDLP | 82  | N/A | 13.4  | 92,600
| Independent | 52  | N/A | 7.0  | 48,947
| Ind. Unionist | 26  | N/A | 4.4  | 31,866
| United Loyalist  | 20  | N/A | 4.2  | 28,906
| DUP | 21  | N/A | 4.1  | 28,811
| Republican Clubs | 8  | N/A | 3.0  | 20,680
| NI Labour | 4  | N/A | 2.5  | 17,422
| Independent Loyalist  | 16  | N/A | 1.4  | 17,360
| Vanguard | 10  | N/A | 1.6  | 13,305
| Unity | 6  | N/A | 1.5  | 10,281
| Loyalist Coalition  | 3  | N/A | 1.0  | 7,495
| Nationalist | 4  | N/A | 0.5  | 3,784
| Independent Community  | 3  | N/A | 0.4  | 3,036
| Republican Labour | 0  | N/A | 0.4  | 2,594
| Ind. Republican | 3  | N/A | 0.2  | 1,911
| Ulster Liberal | 0  | N/A | 0.1  | 704
| Independent Ratepayer  | 1  | N/A | 0.1  | 841
| Independent Radical  | 1  | N/A | 0.1  | 533
| Communist | 0  | N/A | 0.1  | 363
| Irish Labour | 0  | N/A | 0.0  | 290
| Ind. Nationalist | 0  | N/A | 0.0  | 147
| Independent Labour | 0  | N/A | 0.0  | 91
Total | 462  |  | 100.0%  | 681,628

### Results by council

[edit]

Council  | Control  | 1st party 1973  | 2nd party 1973  | Councillors

|
|
|
|

Antrim |  | UUP |  | UUP (8)  |  | Alliance (2)  | 15
Belfast City |  | No overall control |  | UUP (25)  |  | Alliance (8)  | 51
Ards |  | UUP |  | UUP (11)  |  | Alliance (2)  | 17
Armagh |  | No overall control |  | UUP (10)  |  | SDLP (4)  | 20
Ballymena |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Ballymoney |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Banbridge |  | UUP |  |  |  |  |
Carrickfergus |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Castlereagh |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Coleraine |  | UUP |  |  |  |  |
Cookstown |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Craigavon |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Down |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Dungannon |  | UUP |  |  |  |  |
Fermanagh |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Larne |  | Loyalist  |  | Loyalist (8)  |  | Alliance (3)  | 15
Limavady |  | United Unionist  |  | United Unionist (8)  |  | SDLP (4)  | 15
Lisburn |  | UUP |  | UUP (14)  |  | Alliance (3)  | 23
Londonderry |  | No overall control |  | SDLP (10)  |  | United Loyalist (9)  | 27
Magherafelt |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Moyle |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Newry and Mourne |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Newtownabbey |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
North Down |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Omagh |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
Strabane |  | No overall control |  |  |  |  |
All councils |  |  |  | UUP (194)  |  | SDLP (82)  | 517

## References

[edit]

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

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