2023 Ards and North Down Borough Council election
The 2023 election to Ards and North Down Borough Council was held on 18 May 2023, alongside other local elections in Northern Ireland, two weeks after local elections in England.[1] The Northern Ireland elections were delayed by 2 weeks to avoid overlapping with the coronation of King Charles III.[2]
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All 40 council seats 21 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Ards and North Down 2023 Council Election Results by DEA (Shaded by plurality of FPVs) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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They returned 40 members to the council via Single Transferable Vote.
Background
editArds and North Down is the only council in Northern Ireland on which Sinn Féin have never won a seat.[3]
Election results
editParty | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DUP | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35.00 | 29.02 | 16,522 | 4.36 | |
Alliance | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 30.00 | 26.59 | 15,137 | 4.36 | |
UUP | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 | 16.50 | 9,393 | 1.31 | |
Independent | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.50 | 11.16 | 6,351 | 2.55 | |
Green (NI) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5.00 | 5.94 | 3,381 | 4.23 | |
SDLP | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.50 | 3.72 | 2,115 | 0.49 | |
TUV | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 4.83 | 2,748 | 3.45 | |
Sinn Féin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.66 | 945 | 1.13 | |
NI Conservatives | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.59 | 337 | 0.72 | |
Total | 40 | 56,929 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.
District summary
editDistrict Electoral Area (DEA) | % |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
% |
Cllrs |
Total cllrs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DUP | Alliance | UUP | Green | SDLP | TUV | Sinn Féin | Independents and others | ||||||||||
Ards Peninsula | 44.71 | 3 | 13.78 | 1 | 8.05 | 1 | 1.62 | 0 | 13.93 | 1 | 6.45 | 0 | 10.29 | 0 | 1.18 | 0 | 6 |
Bangor Central | 16.73 | 1 1 | 28.75 | 2 1 | 14.55 | 1 | 6.90 | 0 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 5.37 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 27.69 | 2 1 | 6 |
Bangor East and Donaghadee | 23.39 | 2 | 23.90 | 2 1 | 34.18 | 2 | 4.18 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 14.35 | 0 1 | 6 |
Bangor West | 25.72 | 2 1 | 30.09 | 1 1 | 13.33 | 1 | 11.33 | 1 | 4.57 | 0 | 5.09 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 9.87 | 0 | 5 |
Comber | 38.48 | 2 | 28.83 | 2 1 | 19.31 | 1 | 2.72 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5.61 | 0 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 5.00 | 0 | 5 |
Holywood and Clandeboye | 19.81 | 1 | 41.03 | 2 | 12.80 | 1 | 14.67 | 1 | 6.97 | 0 | 4.71 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 5 |
Newtownards | 32.38 | 3 | 23.51 | 2 | 13.54 | 1 | 2.43 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 6.44 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 21.70 | 1 | 7 |
Total | 29.02 | 14 | 26.59 | 12 2 | 16.50 | 8 | 5.94 | 2 1 | 3.72 | 1 | 4.83 | 0 1 | 1.66 | 0 | 11.75 | 3 | 40 |
District results
editArds Peninsula
edit2019: 3 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2023: 3 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2019–2023 Change: No change
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
DUP | Robert Adair* | 21.33% | 1,959 | |||||
Alliance | Lorna McAlpine* | 13.78% | 1,266 | 1,273.92 | 1,383.92 | |||
SDLP | Joe Boyle* | 13.93% | 1,279 | 1,288.24 | 1,308.57 | 1,314.57 | ||
DUP | Nigel Edmund* | 6.89% | 633 | 996.99 | 1,003.32 | 1,174.22 | 1,675.22 | |
DUP | Davy Kerr | 9.00% | 827 | 990.68 | 1,014.99 | 1,165.61 | 1,314.61 | |
UUP | Pete Wray | 8.05% | 739 | 773.98 | 810.31 | 949.27 | 1,069.06 | |
Sinn Féin | Noel Sands | 10.29% | 945 | 946.65 | 963.65 | 964.65 | 965.65 | |
DUP | Eddie Thompson* | 7.48% | 687 | 720.00 | 725.33 | 852.62 | ||
TUV | Tom Thompson | 6.45% | 592 | 616.09 | 628.09 | |||
Green (NI) | Gilian McNaull | 1.62% | 149 | 149.99 | ||||
Independent | Boyd Ireland | 1.18% | 108 | 111.63 | ||||
Electorate: 19,000 Valid: 9,184 (48.34%) Spoilt: 111 Quota: 1,313 Turnout: 9,925 (52.24%) |
Bangor Central
edit2019: 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Green, 1 x Independent
2023: 2 x Alliance, 2 x Independent, 1 x DUP, 1 x UUP
2019–2023 Change: Alliance and Independent gain from DUP and Green
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||
Alliance | Karen Douglas* † | 16.31% | 1,378 | |||||||||
Independent | Wesley Irvine* | 16.20% | 1,369 | |||||||||
DUP | Alistair Cathcart* | 12.46% | 1,053 | 1,053.84 | 1,061.84 | 1,091.36 | 1,107.68 | 1,397.68 | ||||
UUP | Craig Blaney* | 10.85% | 917 | 920.48 | 935.48 | 965.96 | 1,205.28 | 1,225.28 | ||||
Alliance | Chris McCracken | 7.88% | 666 | 699.24 | 705.36 | 707.16 | 718.76 | 719.88 | 722.76 | 1,154.88 | 1,436.88 | |
Independent | Ray McKimm* | 10.47% | 885 | 891.48 | 906.48 | 933.84 | 958.52 | 962.36 | 975.8 | 1,003.44 | 1,218.44 | |
TUV | Peter Wilson | 5.37% | 454 | 454.36 | 463.48 | 492.88 | 505.36 | 552.2 | 712.52 | 713.52 | 729.52 | |
Green (NI) | Stephen Dunlop* | 6.90% | 583 | 598.84 | 600.84 | 605.4 | 615.88 | 622.48 | 631.12 | 666 | ||
Alliance | Alex Harbinson | 4.56% | 385 | 485.92 | 492.04 | 494.44 | 503.92 | 504.16 | 507.04 | |||
DUP | Dean McSorley | 4.27% | 361 | 361.12 | 366.12 | 381.84 | 388.16 | |||||
UUP | Rachel McCord | 3.70% | 313 | 315.76 | 328.76 | 341.12 | ||||||
NI Conservatives | Tim Mullen | 1.02% | 86 | 86.36 | ||||||||
Electorate: 19,376 Valid: 8,450 (43.61%) Spoilt: 105 Quota: 1,208 Turnout: 8,555 (44.15%) |
Bangor East and Donaghadee
edit2019: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent
2023: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance
2019–2023 Change: Alliance gain from Independent
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||
UUP | Mark Brooks* | 23.21% | 1,972 | ||||||||
Alliance | Hannah Irwin* | 17.01% | 1,445 | ||||||||
DUP | James Cochrane | 15.01% | 1,275 | ||||||||
UUP | David Chambers* | 10.97% | 932 | 1,323.95 | |||||||
Alliance | Gillian McCollum | 6.89% | 585 | 630.63 | 839.59 | 864.14 | 1,110.04 | 1,128.24 | 1,208.73 | 1,208.85 | |
DUP | Janice MacArthur* † | 8.38% | 712 | 816.52 | 817.64 | 837.20 | 853.25 | 901.13 | 1,062.63 | 1,110.67 | |
Independent | Bill Keery* | 7.54% | 641 | 668.30 | 671.66 | 697.22 | 731.42 | 751.58 | 1,019.71 | 1,021.15 | |
Independent | Tom Smith* | 5.41% | 460 | 590.26 | 592.34 | 612.46 | 646.29 | 669.67 | |||
Green (NI) | Ciara Henry | 4.18% | 355 | 394.30 | 408.25 | ||||||
NI Conservatives | Paul Leeman | 1.40% | 119 | 132.65 | 133.13 | ||||||
Electorate: 18,066 Valid: 8,496 (47.03%) Spoilt: 94 Quota: 1,214 Turnout: 8,590 (47.55%) |
Bangor West
edit2019: 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Green
2023: 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Green
2019–2023 Change: DUP gain from Alliance
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||||
Alliance | Christine Creighton | 18.06% | 1,175 | ||||||||||
DUP | Jennifer Gilmour* | 15.88% | 1,033 | 1,063 | 1,063.77 | 1,068.77 | 1,205.77 | ||||||
UUP | Stephen Hollywood | 13.33% | 867 | 902 | 903.75 | 911.96 | 976.10 | 996.12 | 1,003.33 | 1,185.33 | |||
DUP | Peter Martin † | 9.84% | 640 | 649 | 649.35 | 650.35 | 732.42 | 828.88 | 830.95 | 1,045.93 | 1,113.13 | ||
Green (NI) | Barry McKee* | 11.33% | 737 | 752 | 758.23 | 880.63 | 884.77 | 884.77 | 913.47 | 978.61 | 1,002.97 | 1,019.77 | |
Alliance | Alison McWhinney | 5.96% | 388 | 392 | 440.02 | 548.91 | 551.91 | 551.91 | 961.60 | 997.02 | 1,005.42 | 1,008.78 | |
Independent | Susan Prentice | 7.84% | 510 | 522 | 522.77 | 529.77 | 585.77 | 589.41 | 598.48 | ||||
Alliance | Huw Stacy | 6.07% | 395 | 398 | 417.67 | 460.81 | 460.81 | 460.81 | |||||
TUV | John Gordon | 5.09% | 331 | 348 | 348.35 | 350.35 | |||||||
SDLP | Tony McCann | 4.57% | 297 | 298 | 301.92 | ||||||||
NI Conservatives | Colin Breen | 2.03% | 132 | ||||||||||
Electorate: 14,486 Valid: 6,505 (44.91%) Spoilt: 83 Quota: 1,085 Turnout: 6,588 (45.48%) |
Comber
edit2019: 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x TUV
2023: 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP
2019–2023 Change: Alliance gain from TUV
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
DUP | Libby Douglas [5] | 20.60% | 1,501 | |||||
UUP | Philip Smith* | 19.31% | 1,407 | |||||
DUP | Trevor Cummings* | 17.88% | 1,303 | |||||
Alliance | Patricia Morgan* | 14.84% | 1,081 | 1,087.38 | 1,127.54 | 1,204.6 | 1,219.6 | |
Alliance | Rachel Ashe | 13.99% | 1,019 | 1,032.64 | 1,074.72 | 1,160.8 | 1,215.2 | |
TUV | Sam Patterson | 5.61% | 409 | 595.56 | 651.24 | 677.36 | 922.12 | |
Independent | Stephen Cooper* | 4.42% | 322 | 374.14 | 399.58 | 452.36 | ||
Green (NI) | Cory Quinn | 2.72% | 197 | 207.56 | 219.56 | |||
Independent | John Sloan | 0.58% | 47 | 52.5 | 66.42 | |||
Electorate: 15,112 Valid: 7,286 (48.21%) Spoilt: 95 Quota: 1,215 Turnout: 7,381 (48.84%) |
Holywood and Clandeboye
edit2019: 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Green, 1 x UUP
2023: 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Green, 1 x UUP
2019–2023 Change: No change
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
DUP | Alan Graham | 14.39% | 1,112 | 1,300 | ||||
UUP | Linzi McLaren | 12.80% | 989 | 1,056 | 1,344 | |||
Alliance | Martin McRandal* | 15.81% | 1,222 | 1,226 | 1,237 | 1,385 | ||
Green (NI) | Rachel Woods* † | 14.67% | 1,134 | 1,144 | 1,186 | 1,361 | ||
Alliance | David Rossiter | 13.90% | 1,074 | 1,076 | 1,083 | 1,179 | 1,256.39 | |
Alliance | Helen Corbett | 11.32% | 875 | 891 | 900 | 1,004 | 1,021.75 | |
SDLP | Déirdre Vaughan | 6.97% | 539 | 541 | 549 | |||
DUP | Carl McClean* | 5.42% | 419 | 483 | ||||
TUV | Diane Adams | 4.71% | 364 | |||||
Electorate: 15,973 Valid: 7,728 (48.38%) Spoilt: 87 Quota: 1,289 Turnout: 7,815 (48.93%) |
Newtownards
edit2019: 3 x DUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent
2023: 3 x DUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent
2019–2023 Change: No change
Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||
Independent | Steven Irvine* | 15.76% | 1,463 | ||||||||
DUP | Naomi Armstrong* | 14.75% | 1,370 | ||||||||
UUP | Richard Smart* | 13.54% | 1,257 | ||||||||
Alliance | Alan McDowell* | 13.31% | 1,236 | ||||||||
DUP | Stephen McIlveen* | 11.38% | 1,057 | 1,111.78 | 1,154.98 | 1,161.98 | |||||
Alliance | Vicky Moore* | 10.20% | 947 | 959.32 | 961.42 | 1,126.21 | 1,159.33 | 1,230.97 | |||
DUP | Colin Kennedy* | 6.25% | 580 | 628.4 | 764.75 | 768.49 | 797.83 | 798.25 | 801.43 | 981.25 | |
TUV | Eddie Allen | 6.44% | 598 | 670.16 | 681.26 | 686.68 | 700.36 | 700.72 | 702.4 | 872.68 | |
Independent | Ian Cox | 5.68% | 527 | 618.3 | 625.5 | 672.21 | 685.08 | 685.56 | 701.16 | ||
Green (NI) | Maurice Macartney | 2.43% | 226 | 233.04 | 234.39 | ||||||
Independent | Ben King | 0.26% | 24 | 36.54 | 36.84 | ||||||
Electorate: 21,723 Valid: 9,285 (42.74%) Spoilt: 167 Quota: 1,161 Turnout: 9,452 (43.51%) |
Changes during the term
edit† Co-options
editDate co-opted | Electoral Area | Party | Outgoing | Co-optee | Reason | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 September 2023 | Bangor Central | Alliance | Karen Douglas | Alex Harbinson | Douglas resigned.[6] | |
30 October 2023 | Holywood and Clandeboye | Green (NI) | Rachel Woods | Lauren Kendall | Woods resigned.[7] | |
24 April 2024 | Bangor East and Donaghadee | DUP | Janice MacArthur | Eddie Thompson | MacArthur resigned.[8] | |
31 July 2024 | Bangor West | DUP | Peter Martin | Carl McClean | Martin was co-opted to the Northern Ireland Assembly.[9] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Local government elections in Northern Ireland". www.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- ^ "NI council election moved to avoid coronation clash". BBC News. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ Ainsworth, Paul (2023-05-04). "Independents aim to return in Ards and North Down, while Sinn Féin hopes to score first ever seat". The Irish News. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Northern Ireland council election: List of all the candidates in the May 2023 poll". Belfast Live. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ "Councillor Libby Douglas | Ards and North Down Borough Council".
- ^ "New Councillor - Bangor Central DEA".
- ^ "New Councillor - Holywood and Clandeboye District Electoral Area".
- ^ "New Councillor - Bangor East and Donaghadee District Electoral Area".
- ^ "New Councillor - Bangor West District Electoral Area".