The 1977 Local Government Elections


See spreadsheet archive.

Results by Party

Party Votes Percentage Councillors
UUP 166971 30.0% 176
SDLP 114775 20.6% 113
Alliance 80282 14.4% 70
DUP 70670 12.8% 74
UUUP 15831 2.8% 12
Rep Cl 14277 2.6% 6
UPNI 13691 2.5% 6
VUP 8135 1.5% 5
Unity 5528 1.0% 2
NILP 4690 0.8% 1
Nat 2836 0.5% 4
Ind Cmnty 1731 0.3% 1
Loy UUUC 848 0.2% 1
Dominion Party 644 0.1%
U Rtpy 635 0.1% 1
Loy Utd 608 0.1%
Ind Labour 484 0.1% 1
Loy 457 0.10% 1
Loy PU 348 0.1%
Ind Rtpy 321 0.06%
Ind Nat 227 0.04%
Loy CHNU 171 0.03%
CPI 115 0.02%
Ind Soc 107 0.02%
Loy Prot 102 0.02%
U 4969 0.9% 5
Ind U 4233 0.8% 5
Non Party 7258 1.3% 10
Independent 35583 6.3% 32

These elections marked a considerable consolidation of the party system, with the UUP and DUP emerging dominant, the UUUP, Vanguard and UPNI all failing to make an impact, and the SDLP hoovering up many of the independent nationalists and emerging well ahead of Alliance (which none the less had its best election ever). My main source for the results is The Northern Ireland local government elections of 1977 by Sydney Elliott and F.J. Smith. I have adopted all of their party descriptions, though I have merged UUP/UUUC and UUP results, likewise for the DUP and UUUP.

Results by Council

Council UUP DUP UUUP Vanguard UPNI Oth U SDLP Alliance Rep Clubs Others
Antrim 8 3++
0-


2
2 Ind's
Ards 6----- 3+++



1 5+++
1 Ind, 1 NILP
Armagh 9- 2 1+


7+++ 0- 0- 1 Ind
Ballymena 4----- 11++++++


1 Ind U, 1 U Rtpyr
1
1 Ind, 2 NP's
Ballymoney 5+ 3++


1 Ind U 3+ 1
1 Ind, 2 NP's
Banbridge 8 3+++


1 Ind U 2+

1 Ind
Belfast 15---------- 7+++++
0- 2 1 U, 1 Ind U 8+ 13+++++ 3+ 1 Ind
Carrickfergus 5 3+++

1 1 Loy/UUUC
5++

Castlereagh 6-- 4++++


1 U
7++
1 Ind Cmnty
Coleraine 10-- 2++


1 Ind U 2+ 2-
3 NP's
Cookstown 4--- 1+ 3+++


5++
0- 2 Ind's
Craigavon 10+++ 4+ 1-


6++ 3- 1+
Down 7-

0-

10++ 3+

Dungannon 8--- 2++



6+

4 Ind's
Fermanagh 6+
3+++


7+++

2 Unity, 2 Ind's
Larne 2+ 3+++
3+++

1+ 4+
1 Ind, 1 NP
Limavady 6++++++ 2++



6++ 0--
1 NP
Lisburn 9----- 6++ 2+
1
2+ 3

Londonderry 6++++++ 2++



13+++ 2--
4 Nats
Magherafelt 4 3+++ 1


5-
1 1 Ind
Moyle 3- 2++


2 U's 3+

5 Ind's, 1 NP
Newry and Mourne 7+++ 1+



15++ 3- 0-- 4 Ind's
Newtownabbey 8- 4+

1 1 Loy
6+++
1 Ind Labour
North Down 7-- 1+ 1+ 2++ 1 1 U
7

Omagh 8++




6++ 3 1+ 2 Ind's
Strabane 5- 2++



5+ 0--
3 Ind's
Totals 176 74 12 5 6 12 113 70 6 51

The changes noted above demonstrate in many cases just how fragile the "Unionist" or "Loyalist" coalitions of 1973 were. Changes from Vanguard in 1973 are marked for the UUUP where they won seats in 1977. (No overt Vanguard candidates won in North Down in 1973 though both Vanguard councillors elected in 1977 appear to have been "Loyalist" candidates four years previously.)

I have very few differences from Flackes and Elliot in terms of classifying councillors by party affiliation for this election.

 


See also:

Local council election results from 1973 to 1983: Antrim | Ards | Armagh | Ballymena | Ballymoney | Banbridge | Belfast | Carrickfergus | Castlereagh | Coleraine | Cookstown | Craigavon | Derry | Down | Dungannon | Fermanagh | Larne | Limavady | Lisburn | Magherafelt | Moyle | Newry and Mourne | Newtownabbey | North Down | Omagh | Strabane

Local council election results from 1985 to 1989: Antrim | Ards | Armagh | Ballymena | Ballymoney | Banbridge | Belfast | Carrickfergus | Castlereagh | Coleraine | Cookstown | Craigavon | Derry | Down | Dungannon | Fermanagh | Larne | Limavady | Lisburn | Magherafelt | Moyle | Newry and Mourne | Newtownabbey | North Down | Omagh | Strabane

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.

This page has been developed with the support of a project grant from the New Initiatives Fund of the Electoral Commission. However, any views expressed on this page or, in particular, other pages of this website are those of the author and not necessarily shared by The Electoral Commission.
Ivo Damkat, October 29, 2003



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