The 2001 Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland

Map by Conal Kelly

The Elections

The elections for Northern Ireland's 26 local councils took place on 7 June, 2001, simultaneously with the Westminster election. This was the eighth set of elections since the local councils were reorganised in 1973. Councillors are elected for a four-year term by Single Transferable Vote from local electoral areas returning five, six or seven councillors. You can look at all the local election results since 1973 here, and compare specifically with the 1997 elections here and the 1993 elections here. You may also like to look at entries to the prediction contest.

This graph contrasts the 2001 first preference votes across the whole of Northern Ireland with those cast in the local government elections of 1997, 1993, 1989, 1985, 1981, 1977 and 1973.

The Results

I have taken my figures from the BBC, cross-checked with local knowledge where possible. First preferences for all electoral areas are now on the respective council pages.

These elections saw marked advances for Sinn Féin and the DUP at the expense of the other main parties and smaller groupings. For the first time, Sinn Féin beat the SDLP in votes (though not seats, due to the SDLP's lead in rural councils with smaller numbers of voters in each ward).

Total valid vote: 790457

Details of distribution of seats on the 26 District Councils

I ran a prediction contest for these elections, which attracted 115 entries. The median expectation was for the UUP to win 164 seats (real result 154), the SDLP to win 122 seats (rather than 117), the DUP to win 105 seats (they won 131), SF to win 92 (rather than 108) and Alliance 35 (real result 28). Conal Gillespie's prediction of 156 UUP, 131 DUP, 110 SDLP, 104 SF and 30 Alliance is the most accurate prediction I have received in any of the five prediction contests since I started this site.

Parliamentary constituencies

• East Belfast includes parts of Belfast and Castlereagh
• North Belfast includes parts of Belfast and Newtownabbey
• South Belfast includes parts of Belfast and Castlereagh
• West Belfast includes parts of Belfast and Lisburn
• East Antrim includes Carrickfergus, Larne and parts of Newtownabbey
• North Antrim includes Ballymena, Ballymoney and Moyle
• South Antrim includes Antrim and parts of Newtownabbey
• North Down includes North Down and parts of Ards
• South Down includes parts of Banbridge, Down and Newry and Mourne
• Fermanagh and South Tyrone includes Fermanagh and parts of Dungannon
• Foyle is exactly equivalent to Derry
• Lagan Valley includes parts of Lisburn and Banbridge
• East Londonderry includes Coleraine and Limavady
• Mid Ulster includes Cookstown, Magherafelt, and parts of Dungannon
• Newry and Armagh includes Armagh and parts of Newry and Mourne
• Strangford includes parts of Ards, Castlereagh, and Down
• West Tyrone includes Omagh and Strabane
• Upper Bann includes Craigavon and parts of Banbridge

See also:

Other sites based at ARK: ORB (Online Research Bank) | CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) | Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey

Your comments, please! Send an email to me at nicholas.whyte@gmail.com.

Nicholas Whyte, 1 July 2001; modified 17 February.