1973 Northern Ireland local elections

UK elections August 2021 1973 Northern Ireland local elections parliamentary Northern Ireland no 1977 Northern Ireland local elections 1977 All 526 seats to 26 local authorities 30 May 1973 Brian Faulkner, c. 1940s (cropped).jpg Brian Faulkner Ulster Unionist Party 216 278,084 40.2% Social Democratic and Labour Party SDLP Gerry Fitt Social Democratic and Labour Party 82 92,600 13.4% Alliance Party of Northern Ireland APNI Oliver Napier Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 63 94,474 13.7% 160x160px Ian Paisley Democratic Unionist Party 21 27,578 4.0% 250px Council control 250px Party with the most seats 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.Local Government Elections 1973 (Ark Social & Political Archive)Big Roman Catholic turnout in poll despite threats, The Times, 31 May 1973Party accused over Ulster poll, The Times, 31 May 1973Unionist supporters elect many hard-line men in Ulster local government poll, The Times, 2 June 1973 Results Overall PartyLocal Government Elections 1973, Northern Ireland Elections Councillors VotesNotes Total +/- % share Total Ulster Unionist Party216N/A40.2278,084Includes candidates labelled "Official Unionist" and "Unionist". lower-roman Alliance Party of Northern Ireland63N/A13.792,600 Social Democratic and Labour Party82N/A13.494,474Loyalist coalitions53N/A9.666,027Includes 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. lower-roman6 June 1973 Londonderry Sentinel - Omagh: Mixed bag result https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001480/19730606/193/0013 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive Independent (politician)55N/A7.853,448Includes 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". lower-roman Democratic Unionist Party21N/A4.027,578Includes candidates labelled as "Loyalist and Democratic Unionist". lower-roman Republican Clubs11N/A3.322,591Includes candidates nominated as "Republican" and "Official Republican". Contemporary sources indicate both labels refer to Republican Clubs candidates. lower-roman4 May 1973 Belfast News-Letter - Line-up for the election https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005119/19730504/150/0008 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive29 May 1973 Belfast Telegraph - Polling Guide https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002318/19730529/188/0012 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive Northern Ireland Labour Party4N/A2.517,274 Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party6N/A1.510,639Includes 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. lower-roman Unity (Northern Ireland)6N/A1.510,281 Independent Unionist5N/A1.49,993Includes 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). lower-roman4 May 1973 Belfast Telegraph - Few Quit Poll https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002318/19730504/075/0004 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)4N/A0.53,784 Republican Labour Party0N/A0.42,594 Ulster Liberal Party0N/A0.1704 Independent Nationalist0N/A0.1599 Communist Party of Ireland0N/A0.1363 Irish Labour Party0N/A0.0290 Total526100.0%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.21 March 1973 No To White Paper https://www.rte.ie/archives/2023/0303/1360148-united-loyalist-action-front/ 20 July 2025 RTÉ Craig and Paisley had initially announced that their parties would not be contesting the local elections8 May 1973 Derry Journal - A New Phase https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001123/19730508/060/0004 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive - 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,4 May 1973 Belfast News-Letter - Larne Unionists to split https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005119/19730504/037/0002 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive the Ulster Special Constabulary Association, and the Ulster Protestant Volunteers.13 April 1973 Derry Journal - Derry "Loyalists" Unite https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001123/19730413/183/0013 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive 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.4 May 1973 Banbridge Chronicle - The Line Up For The Election https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005418/19730504/015/0001 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive31 May 1973 Belfast Telegraph https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002318/19730531/117/0008 20 July 2025 British Newspaper Archive Party seats by council CouncilUUP(U)SDLP (N)AP (O)LOY (U)DUP (U)RC (N)NILP (O)VUPP (U)Unity (N)Nat (N)IndInd (U)TotalUNOLargest blocLargest partyAntrim92112151104Unionist majorityUUP majorityBelfast City2578322225132910Unionist majorityUUP pluralityArds1112111171214Unionist majorityUUP majorityArmagh1141211201352Unionist majorityUUP majorityBallymena91515211506Unionist majorityUUP pluralityBallymoney6211616727Unionist/Other pluralityUUP/Ind pluralityBanbridge1213161213Unionist majorityUUP majorityCarrickfergus5361151104Unionist majorityLoyalist pluralityCastlereagh10531191306Unionist majorityUUP majorityColeraine131321201415Unionist majorityUUP majorityCookstown8311215942Unionist majorityUUP majorityCraigavon10243321251825Unionist majorityUUP pluralityDown8821120983Unionist pluralityUUP/SDLP pluralityDungannon11522201190Unionist majorityUUP majorityFermanagh841421201082Unionist pluralityUUP majorityLarne138315906Unionist majorityLoyalist majorityLimavady428115843Unionist majorityLoyalist majorityLisburn141341231913Unionist majorityUUP majorityLondonderry104913279144Nationalist majoritySDLP pluralityMagherafelt56111115671Nationalist pluralitySDLP pluralityMoyle52916529Other majorityInd majorityNewry and Mourne3134283031512Nationalist pluralitySDLP pluralityNewtownabbey123231211704Unionist majorityUUP majorityNorth Down974201307Unionist majorityUUP pluralityOmagh643211320866Unionist pluralityUUP pluralityStrabane6421215744Unionist pluralityUUP pluralityTotal21782635321114664555527301103122Unionist majority of council seatsUUP plurality of council seats Votes by council CouncilUUP(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)IndInd (U)Ind (N)TotalAntrim7,0383432,2917482878662,66314,236Belfast City83,65818,82722,08111,0973,8606,5849,0462,5942111728785,964164,972Ards11,4991,1803,1331,6081,1141,51016789521,106Armagh10,4055,2001,7852,6011,0705831531,13022,927Ballymena8,6881,4695,6074381,2765,46622,944Ballymoney3,7758246796872,8508,815Banbridge9,6221,1838501702,97214,797Carrickfergus3,4402,7164,4024721,12912,159Castlereagh14,2826,2485,2151,56434490428,557Coleraine12,4511,4832,8693256592002,6771,12121,785Cookstown6,4282,6719251,6521,7411,27614,693Craigavon11,5892,0925,0143,0962,9401,8793633,2461,20531,424Down8,9308,1012,8475631,6391,04623,126Dungannon11,4224,9131,3481,3502252,2971,04716222,764Fermanagh8,4123,5402,2852,0081,4957,2123,4061,49629,854Larne1,0365433,4116,4111821,81413,397Limavady3,4851,3055,53548381011,618Lisburn15,9791,7215,9165,4827492,16644520432,662Londonderry11,0084,93012,4832,091882,8504257133,946Magherafelt4,9785,5207881,7491,5621,0833771,07417,131Moyle1,814799334773,6446,668Newry and Mourne3,75710,2913,9393,1602882907,05438129,160Newtownabbey14,0705085,5652,2524,1581,7931,09029,436North Down12,2927,6914,6381481,28226,051Omagh5,3993,2792,2982,5087402429343,25014718,797Strabane7,1205,0891,7571,0487092,57518,298Total278,08492,60094,47466,02727,57822,59117,27410,63910,2813,7842,59421170429053,6009,993599691,323 Notes lower-roman References 1973 Category:1973 United Kingdom local elections Category:1973 elections in Northern Ireland