Northern Ireland local election
1989 North Down Borough Council election
Elections to North Down Borough Council were held on 17 May 1989 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections . The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 24 councillors .
Prior to the election three Ulster Unionist politicians, including George Green , had defected to the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland. The election saw the Conservative presence in North Down doubling, with the Conservatives emerging as the single largest party on the council.
Election results
North Down Borough Council Election Result 1989[ 1]
Party
Seats
Gains
Losses
Net gain/loss
Seats %
Votes %
Votes
+/−
NI Conservatives
6
6
0
6
25.0
24.9
5,204
New
UUP
5
0
3
3
20.8
21.7
4,548
10.6
Alliance
4
0
3
3
16.7
20.7
4,313
5.6
DUP
4
0
2
3
16.7
15.5
3,234
7.8
Independent
2
2
0
2
8.3
6.9
1,443
4.2
UPUP
2
1
1
0
8.3
5.9
1,223
3.8
Ind. Unionist
1
0
0
0
4.2
2.8
578
1.2
PUP
0
0
0
0
0.0
1.6
325
0.1
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.
Districts summary
Results of the North Down Borough Council election, 1989 by district[ 1]
Ward
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
Total Cllrs
Conservative
UUP
Alliance
DUP
UPUP
Others
Abbey
19.2
1
12.4
1
12.9
1
25.6
1
29.9
2
0.0
0
6
Ballyholme and Groomsport
27.5
2
25.4
1
24.1
1
12.4
1
0.0
0
10.6
1
6
Bangor West
26.7
2
23.0
2
19.3
1
14.5
1
0.0
0
16.5
1
7
Holywood
24.6
1
24.1
1
25.2
1
11.7
1
0.0
0
14.4
1
5
Total
24.9
6
21.7
5
20.7
4
15.5
4
5.9
2
11.3
3
24
Districts results
Abbey
1985: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UPUP
1989: 2 x UPUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Conservative, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP
1985-1989 Change: UPUP and Conservative gain from DUP and UUP
Abbey - 6 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
UPUP
Valerie Kinghan
18.19%
745
NI Conservatives
George Green *
13.09%
536
546.12
551.66
558.66
752.66
UPUP
Cecil Braniff *
11.67%
478
560.50
580.36
584.80
587.46
Alliance
James Magee *
7.30%
299
305.82
308.92
513.80
541.46
605.46
DUP
Denny Vitty
10.47%
429
438.68
445.34
445.56
448.78
454.78
609.78
UUP
Irene Cree
8.52%
349
364.40
483.26
483.26
498.92
546.92
571.9
DUP
Ivy Cooling*
7.89%
323
332.24
337.12
337.12
338.34
349.34
462.10
NI Conservatives
Shirley McCann
6.10%
250
252.86
254.30
262.30
Alliance
Mariam Judge
5.57%
228
229.76
229.98
UUP
Edward Johnston
2.91%
119
128.02
UUP
Robert Todd
1.03%
42
45.30
Electorate: 11,789 Valid: 4,096 (34.74%) Spoilt: 188 Quota: 586 Turnout: 4,284 (36.34%)
Ballyholme and Groomsport
1985: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist
1989: 2 x Conservative, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist
1985-1989 Change: Conservatives (two seats) gain from UUP and Alliance
Ballyholme and Groomsport - 6 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
UUP
Leslie Cree
15.81%
864
NI Conservatives
Bruce Mulligan *
11.18%
611
612.35
614.35
621.98
623.25
814.25
Alliance
Jane Copeland *
13.01%
711
712.53
762.53
768.89
771.16
779.25
779.59
1,159.59
NI Conservatives
Ivan Thompson
10.49%
573
574.53
582.53
586.89
587.16
672.43
703.71
765.07
877.07
Ind. Unionist
Edmund Mills *
10.58%
578
580.25
584.25
589.88
593.06
602.42
602.76
630.85
684.85
713.85
DUP
Alan Leslie *
7.85%
429
432.6
434.6
452.31
686.82
693.09
693.26
697.89
703.89
705.89
UUP
Samuel Mellon
6.52%
356
375.35
378.35
518.2
532.28
547.09
547.09
575.54
608.54
635.54
Alliance
Donald Hayes*
8.86%
484
485.44
533.44
535.71
535.89
542.89
543.06
NI Conservatives
William McLean
5.84%
319
320.44
322.53
326.25
329.34
DUP
Robert Gordon
4.58%
250
255.22
255.31
269.21
UUP
Ian Henry
3.04%
166
204.79
207.79
Alliance
William Johnston
2.25%
123
123.18
Electorate: 14,179 Valid: 5,464 (38.54%) Spoilt: 150 Quota: 781 Turnout: 5,614 (39.59%)
Bangor West
1985: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP, 1 x UPUP
1989: 2 x Conservative, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent
1985-1989 Change: Conservatives (two seats) and Independent gain from Alliance, DUP and UPUP
Bangor West - 7 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
UUP
Hazel Bradford *
10.73%
698
707
710
716
748
880
DUP
William Baxter
7.10%
462
497
498
502
551
573
575.5
829.5
Alliance
Brian Wilson *
10.71%
697
699
763
779
789
802
808
817
Independent
Ann-Marie Hillen
8.25%
537
540
549
701
725
741
742.5
764.5
902.5
NI Conservatives
Thomas Miskelly
9.62%
626
629
632
643
664
694
695.5
703.5
763.5
794.5
NI Conservatives
James O'Fee
8.81%
573
579
580
587
597
623
624.5
641.5
717
744
UUP
Roy Bradford
6.19%
403
408
409
411
443
534
581
650
693
706
NI Conservatives
Jack Preston
8.25%
537
550
551
556
577
605
605
613
662
673
Alliance
William Bailie*
6.36%
414
416
471
473
476
491
491.5
493.5
DUP
Alan Graham*
5.34%
347
398
402
404
429
453
457.5
UUP
Terence McKeag
6.09%
396
397
398
399
425
PUP
Thomas O'Brien
4.86%
316
327
328
329
Independent
Colin Simpson
3.24%
211
212
212
Alliance
Eileen Bell
2.23%
145
145
DUP
Elizabeth McMurtry
2.08%
135
PUP
Samuel Meneely
0.14%
9
Electorate: 15,249 Valid: 6,506 (42.67%) Spoilt: 147 Quota: 814 Turnout: 6,653 (43.63%)
Holywood
1985: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP
1989: 1 x Alliance, 1 x Conservative, 1 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent
1985-1989 Change: Conservative and Independent gain from UUP and Alliance
Holywood - 5 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
NI Conservatives
Laurence Kennedy
16.14%
775
852
UUP
Ellie McKay *
12.27%
589
641
694
704.12
1,035.12
Independent
Dennis Ogborn
14.47%
695
712
755
764.2
804.2
DUP
Gordon Dunne *
11.68%
561
564
576
578.76
659.28
805.28
Alliance
Susan O'Brien *
13.74%
660
670
696
701.52
732.96
754.96
Alliance
Paul De Haan
11.50%
552
559
585
592.36
626.12
659.12
UUP
John Auld*
9.85%
473
498
549
564.64
NI Conservatives
Alice Kennedy
5.60%
269
299
NI Conservatives
Michael Weir
2.81%
135
UUP
Ian Sinclair*
1.94%
93
Electorate: 10,290 Valid: 4,802 (46.67%) Spoilt: 116 Quota: 801 Turnout: 4,918 (47.79%)
References