1977 Down District Council election

Local govt election in Northern Ireland

Main article: Northern Ireland local elections, 1977

1977 Down District Council election | <- 1973 | 18 May 1977 (1977-05-18) | 1981 ->

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All 20 seats to Down District Council
11 seats needed for a majority
|  | First party  | Second party  | Third party

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|  |  |
Party  | SDLP | Ulster Unionist | Alliance
Seats won  | 10  | 7  | 3
Seat change  |  2  |  1  |  1

* * *

| Fourth party  | Fifth party
|  |
Party  | Vanguard | Independent
Seats won  | 0  | 0
Seat change  |  1  |  1

Elections to Down District Council were held on 18 May 1977 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 20 councillors.

## Election results[edit]

Down District Council Election Result 1977[1] Party  | Seats  | Gains  | Losses  | Net gain/loss  | Seats %  | Votes %  | Votes  | +/−

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| SDLP | 10  | 2  | 0  | 2 | 50.0  | 44.6  | 9,251  | 9.6
| Ulster Unionist | 7  | 0  | 1  | 1 | 35.0  | 31.4  | 6,520  | 7.2
| Alliance | 3  | 1  | 0  | 1 | 15.0  | 11.8  | 2,446  | 0.5
| Independent | 0  | 0  | 1  | 1 | 0.0  | 3.5  | 736  | 3.6
| Unionist Party NI | 0  | 0  | 0  | New | 0.0  | 3.3  | 700  | New
| UUUP | 0  | 0  | 0  | New | 0.0  | 2.7  | 569  | New
| Republican Clubs | 0  | 0  | 0  |  | 0.0  | 2.6  | 536  | 0.2

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary[edit]

Results of the Down District Council election, 1977
by district[1] Ward  | %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| %
| Cllrs
| Total
Cllrs

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SDLP | UUP | Alliance | Others
Area A  | 19.9  | 2  | 50.1  | 4  | 13.5  | 1  | 16.5  | 0  | 7
Area B  | 58.8  | 4  | 18.4  | 1  | 8.5  | 1  | 14.3  | 0  | 6
Area C  | 53.4  | 4  | 26.9  | 2  | 13.5  | 1  | 6.2  | 0  | 7
Total | 44.6  | 10  | 31.4  | 7  | 11.8  | 3  | 12.2  | 0  | 20

## Districts results[edit]

### Area A[edit]

1973: 4 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Vanguard
1977: 4 x UUP, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance
1973-1977 Change: SDLP gain from Vanguard

Down Area A \- 7 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
| SDLP | Patrick Smyth*  | 12.65%  | 837 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Samuel Osborne*  | 9.54%  | 631  | 638  | 638  | 663  | 663  | 668  | 841 |  |  |
| Alliance | Denis Rowan-Hamilton*  | 7.98%  | 528  | 534  | 534.33  | 573.33  | 577.35  | 638.42  | 652.42  | 904.42 |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Edward McVeigh*  | 11.08%  | 733  | 736  | 736.03  | 770.03  | 773.03  | 773.04  | 803.04  | 813.09  | 823.82  | 963.82
| Ulster Unionist | William Finlay*  | 9.13%  | 604  | 605  | 605  | 622  | 622.01  | 622.01  | 646.01  | 648.01  | 650.6  | 849.6
| Ulster Unionist | William Brown | 9.02%  | 597  | 601  | 601  | 621  | 621  | 621.01  | 634.01  | 635.01  | 640.19  | 801.56
| SDLP | Francis Laverty | 3.89%  | 257  | 260  | 264.88  | 267.9  | 449.39  | 605.83  | 605.83  | 717.4  | 774.01  | 778.09
| UUUP | Andrew Gaskin  | 8.60%  | 569  | 570  | 570.01  | 572.01  | 572.01  | 573.01  | 580.01  | 582.01  | 582.01  | 603.01
| Ulster Unionist | William Cochrane*  | 7.07%  | 468  | 475  | 475.04  | 517.04  | 518.06  | 524.07  | 548.07  | 548.09  | 549.57  |
| Alliance | John Rodgers  | 5.47%  | 362  | 365  | 365.64  | 379.64  | 404.69  | 428.76  | 429.76  |  |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Hugh Martin  | 4.22%  | 279  | 280  | 280  | 288  | 288  | 290.01  |  |  |  |
| Independent | George Kerr  | 4.05%  | 268  | 268  | 268.58  | 269.58  | 273.69  |  |  |  |  |
| SDLP | Allen Gilgunn  | 3.33%  | 220  | 220  | 221.7  | 223.71  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Unionist Party NI | William Hutton  | 2.45%  | 162  | 221  | 221.03  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Unionist Party NI | John McKee  | 1.51%  | 100  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 11,641  Valid: 6,615 (56.83%)  Spoilt: 221  Quota: 827  Turnout: 6,836 (58.72%)

### Area B[edit]

1973: 3 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent
1977: 4 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
1973-1977 Change: SDLP gain from Independent

Down Area B \- 6 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
| SDLP | Eddie McGrady*  | 21.72%  | 1,524 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| SDLP | Dermot Curran*  | 14.17%  | 994  | 1,069.48 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Cecil Maxwell*  | 12.09%  | 848  | 853.44  | 854.34  | 862.68  | 873.68  | 903.36  | 1,325.36 |  |  |
| SDLP | John Ritchie*  | 8.48%  | 595  | 694.96  | 707.56  | 722.52  | 738.18  | 771.2  | 771.88  | 772.88  | 1,153.76 |
| SDLP | Sean Quinn | 7.81%  | 548  | 755.06  | 780.86  | 806.16  | 823.2  | 921.78  | 924.76  | 925.76  | 1,153.76 |
| Alliance | George Flinn | 5.20%  | 365  | 373.84  | 374.74  | 388.42  | 564.76  | 618.46  | 631.46  | 768.46  | 793.66  | 833.66
| Republican Clubs | Raymond Blaney  | 7.64%  | 536  | 551.64  | 554.04  | 586.72  | 593.72  | 661.34  | 662.34  | 680.34  | 735.08  | 782.08
| SDLP | Theresa McEvoy  | 6.66%  | 467  | 525.48  | 540.18  | 551.86  | 556.88  | 614.5  | 615.5  | 616.5  |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Robert Nicholson  | 6.30%  | 442  | 443.7  | 444  | 448  | 451  | 454  |  |  |  |
| Independent | John Bryce  | 4.12%  | 289  | 308.04  | 313.14  | 376.18  | 384.54  |  |  |  |  |
| Alliance | William McNamara  | 3.26%  | 229  | 242.94  | 244.74  | 250.08  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Independent | James McDowell  | 2.55%  | 179  | 187.16  | 188.66  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 10,436  Valid: 7,016 (67.23%)  Spoilt: 262  Quota: 1,003  Turnout: 7,278 (69.74%)

### Area C[edit]

1973: 4 x SDLP, 3 x UUP
1977: 4 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
1977-1981 Change: Alliance gain from UUP

Down Area C \- 7 seats[2] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
| SDLP | Patrick O'Donoghue*  | 18.73%  | 1,335 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| SDLP | Eamon O'Neill | 9.13%  | 651  | 814.35  | 824.67  | 824.67  | 898.89 |  |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Ethel Smyth | 11.04%  | 787  | 787  | 799  | 851  | 857.66  | 1,155.66 |  |
| Ulster Unionist | Norman Bicker | 9.30%  | 663  | 663  | 671  | 829  | 837.66  | 1,042.66 |  |
| Alliance | Patrick Forde | 5.92%  | 422  | 429.59  | 539.25  | 620.58  | 818.87  | 844.87  | 901.87 |
| SDLP | Jarlath Carey*  | 9.02%  | 643  | 772.36  | 789.02  | 794.02  | 845.23  | 847.56  | 849.56  | 860.56
| SDLP | James Magee | 9.64%  | 687  | 713.4  | 728.73  | 729.73  | 744.03  | 746.03  | 747.03  | 753.03
| SDLP | James McClean  | 6.92%  | 493  | 556.69  | 561.35  | 561.35  | 578.99  | 579.99  | 581.99  | 583.99
| Ulster Unionist | William Keown  | 6.57%  | 468  | 468.66  | 477.66  | 544.66  | 555.32  |  |  |
| Alliance | Joseph Keenan  | 5.11%  | 364  | 402.94  | 421.27  | 442.27  |  |  |  |
| Unionist Party NI | John Beck  | 4.66%  | 332  | 332.33  | 409.33  |  |  |  |  |
| Alliance | Patrick Doherty  | 2.47%  | 176  | 180.29  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Unionist Party NI | Henry Cromie  | 1.49%  | 106  | 106.66  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 10,834  Valid: 7,127 (65.78%)  Spoilt: 398  Quota: 891  Turnout: 7,525 (69.46%)

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Local Government Elections 1973-1981: Down". www.ark.ac.uk.
2. ^ a b c "Local Government Results 1977". EONI. Retrieved 28 July 2021.

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