Elections for local government were held in Northern Ireland on 15 May 1985, contesting 565 seats in all.
Background
1981 elections The previous elections had been fought in the middle of the hunger strike and the H-Block Prison Protest. Those elections had shown changes in party representation, with three parties, namely the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), winning 75% of the seats. On the Unionist side, the DUP arrived at a position of near parity with the UUP, outpolling the latter by 851 votes, although the UUP managed to win more seats overall. Other changes on the Unionist side saw the disbandment of two smaller Unionist parties: the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland in September 1981 and the United Ulster Unionist Party in May 1984. On the nationalist side, while the SDLP maintained its dominant position, a greater number of elected candidates supporting the H-Block protest were elected. In total 36 candidates endorsed by the H-Block committee were elected of whom 21 belonged to the Irish Independence Party. The representation of the centrist Alliance Party was almost halved as their number of seats was reduced from 70 in 1977 to 38 in 1981.
Northern Ireland Assembly and New Ireland Forum Following the end of the Hunger Strike, attention focused on attempts by the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Jim Prior, to restore devolution. This eventually led to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly which was elected in October 1982. However nationalist parties boycotted the forum and the SDLP instead threw its efforts into the New Ireland Forum. This forum, established in May 1983, reported in May 1984 and represented the combined efforts of the nationalist parties to obtain a solution to the constitutional issue. However the report was rejected by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who rejected each of the three proposals with the words "that is out" in a response that became known as the "out, out, out" speech.Irish Times, 20 November 1984, p1 accessed 10 April 2009
Sinn Féin The entry into electoral politics of Sinn Féin (SF) became a significant issue in the run up to the elections. SF polled over 10% in the 1982 Assembly election, winning five seats. At the 1983 Westminster election, the party increased their vote share to 13.4% and maintained that level of support in the 1984 European election. The party won their first council seat in a by-election in March 1983, with Seamus Kerr polling 60% in Omagh 'Area D' This was followed by the election of Alex Maskey and Sean McKnight to Belfast City Council in June 1983 and February 1984 respectively. In Dungannon and Fermanagh, independent councillors Seamus Cassidy and John Joe McCusker joined SF.
Prior's successor as Secretary of State, Douglas Hurd, refused to ban SF and also rejected calls by unionists for an anti-violence declaration to be signed by all candidates.Northern Ireland: The District Council Elections of 1985, S Elliott and FJ Smith, Queens University 1986,
Rates The expansion of services, particularly leisure began to have an impact in rates at a time when the Rate Support Grant was being cut. The grant was reduced by 1% in 1985. Belfast Leisure Services in particular accounted for 22.7% of the City budget. Rates overall had risen by 8% in the financial year from 1984 to 1985, a figure above the rate of inflation and resulted in the cancellation of a proposed ice rink in Belfast, while that in Bangor had to receive private funding. Since the 1980–1981 financial year, rates had risen by 51.7% ranging from a 17.9% rise in Castlereagh to 80% rises in Omagh and Newry and Mourne.
Legislation
Boundaries The Local Government (N.I.) Act 1972, Section 50 (1) required a review of local government boundaries and electoral areas in 1981, however it was not until 28 October 1982 that Prior reappointed Sir F. Harrison, who had conducted the previous review in 1971 and 1972. Provisional recommendations were published on 20 May 1983. These led to additional representations and nineteen public hearings before revised recommendations were published on 18 January 1984. Following six further public hearings, the final report was sent to the Secretary of State on 29 May 1984.
The report recommended no change in the number of councils or their names. The number of wards was increased from 526 to 566. Moyle was the only council to lose a ward.
With the wards drawn the government decided that a new procedure would be used to group them together to form District Electoral Areas (DEA). In 1972 the wards had been grouped together into areas of four to eight wards with each area electing a number of councillors equal to the number of wards that it contained. This had been done by the Chief Electoral Officer, a fact that had been criticised for potentially affecting his impartiality.
The District Electoral Areas Commissioner (N.I.) Order was laid before Parliament on 15 December 1983. This provided for the appointment of a commissioner and set him the task of creating electoral areas containing five to seven members. These were to have names rather than an alphabetic designation as before. The debate over the Order in January and February 1984 centred on the merits of STV, the narrower number of councillors in each DEA and the names issue. Unionists argued for DEAs electing four to six councillors.
Results
Overall PartyLocal Government Elections 1985, Northern Ireland Elections Councillors Votes Total +/- % share Total 189+3729.5188,497 142024.3155,297 102-217.8113,967 59N/A11.875,686 34-47.045,038 9-281.610,297 8+61.38,780 6+61.27,597 4+11.610,415 4-171.27,459 3-20.53,139 2+10.63,612Campaign for Human and Animal Rights1+10.52,970 100.21,285 0N/A0.21,029Newtownabbey Labour100.1792 0N/A0.1782Labour and Trade Union0N/A0.1556Independent Democratic Unionist0N/A0.1429 000.1387 0-20.0276 000.0245All Night Party0N/A0.0235 000.0187 0-20.0131Independent Workers' Party0N/A0.0113 0N/A0.035 0-10.030
By council Antrim
Antrim North West Party Candidate 1st Pref James Graham1,164 Wilson Clyde871 Robert Loughran786 Henry Cushinan675 James Laverty475 Jack Blakely259 John Heffron235 Samuel Hall187 Roderick Swann123 John Wallace107Turnout4,970
Antrim South EastAntrim District Council Elections 1985-1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st Pref Roy Thompson1,207 Edgar Wallace768 Robert Burns760 Samuel Dunlop687 Carol Cunningham630 Howard Campbell549 Mervyn Rea376 James Robinson349 John McCourt303 Theresa Gallagher220 William McCormick202Turnout6,165
Antrim Town Party Candidate 1st Pref Jack Allen872 Oran Keenan670 Frederick Marks642 Margaret Brown433 Charles Quinn403 Adam McKee280 James McConnell266 Andrew Thompson163 Mary Wallace145 James Williamson109 Roy Stinson100 Robert Owens63Turnout4,284
Ards
Ards PeninsulaArds District Council Elections 1985-1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st Pref Gladys McIntyre999 Jim Shannon837 Robert Ambrose837 Oliver Johnston811 Thomas Byers808 Joseph Thompson637 John Shields609 Kieran McCarthy454 John Scott416 Patrick Doherty359 James Muirhead287 Samuel McKeown158 Seamus O'Neill89Turnout7,521
Ards West Party Candidate 1st Pref Thomas Gourley1,493 Robert Gibson1,483 Thomas McBriar799 Stanley McCoy631 John Hamilton589 Bobby McBride558 Alan McDowell248 Trevor Hussey172 Arthur Spence131 Johnston Haire43Turnout6,290
Newtownards Party Candidate 1st Pref Simpson Gibson1,596 Robert Gaw1,156 John Elliott1,026 Tom Benson990 Owen Dorrian549 David Smyth517 Joseph Patterson280 William Gilmore242 David Jeffers237 Laurence Thompson200 Hugh McMullan188 James McKernon76 Michael McGuigan35Turnout7,249
Armagh
Armagh CityArmagh District Council Elections 1985-1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st Pref Thomas Carroll970 Geoffrey Knipe756 John Agnew739 John Doogan645 Barney McManus640 George MacCartney620 Pat Brannigan612 Robert Orr564 Oliver Tobin476Turnout6,122
Crossmore Party Candidate 1st Pref Charles Mallon1,072 Jim Nicholson949 James McKernan889 Thomas McArdle837 Robert McBride524 Thomas Shilliday513Turnout4,921
Cusher Party Candidate 1st Pref Eric Speers1,267 Seamus Mallon1,260 Thomas Johnston1,149 Thomas Black1,009 James Clayton939 Robert Turner901 Mervyn Spratt329Turnout7,134
The Orchard Party Candidate 1st Pref Jim Speers1,189 Douglas Hutchinson1,150 Ronald Allen875 Samuel Foster676 Christopher McAnallen612 Francis McIlvanna579 Brigid McCartan545Turnout5,718
Ballymena
Ballymena TownBallymena District Council Elections 1985-1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st Pref Patrick McAvoy1,126 Samuel Henry876 Robert Coulter794 Maurice Mills708 Richard McKeown640 Robert Maternaghan563 John Wilson538 Gordon Wilson403 James Alexander328 Warren Wray282 Malachy Reynolds241Turnout6,604
Braid Valley Party Candidate 1st Pref James Woulahan856 Desmond Armstrong757 Samuel Hanna746 John Porter724 William Armstrong628 Margaret Alexander626 Stewart McCullough490 Samuel Martin474Turnout5,411
Kells Water Party Candidate 1st Pref William Brownlees856 John McAuley845 Roy West796 Martin Clarke695 David McClintock615 Charles Maternaghan577 Victoria Brownlees410Turnout4,927
The Main Party Candidate 1st Pref Roy Gillespie1,076 Thomas Nicholl960 John Johnston812 Sandy Spence796 William Wright760 Hubert Nicholl633Turnout5,250
Ballymoney
Ballymoney TownBallymoney District Council Elections 1985-1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st Pref Robert McComb687 James Simpson453 Cecil Cousley424 Kenneth Blair380 Ralph Stronge289 Adam McNeilly274 James McKeown233Turnout2,803
Bann Valley Party Candidate 1st Pref James Patterson669 Malachy McCamphill550 Margaret Hogan532 Joe Gaston502 Kenneth Bamford487 Robert Wilson484 Robert Halliday473 Hugh McFarland248Turnout4,002
Bushvale Party Candidate 1st Pref Charles Steele570 William Gracey557 John Ramsay504 Harry Connolly445 William Logan433 John Mulholland230 Bertie McIlhatton198 William Hartin35Turnout3,043
Banbridge
Banbridge TownBanbridge District Council Elections 1985-1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st Pref James Wells912 Archie McKelvey889 Joan Baird811 James Walsh630 Ivan Gault560 Gareth Bennett392 Leslie Mathews364 James Smyth318 Francis McQuaid234Turnout5,191
Dromore Party Candidate 1st Pref Brian Biggerstaff923 Robert Barr859 Robert Hill645 William Martin573 Bernard Rice470 Catherine McDermott464 Robert McIlroy418 James McRoberts354 Robert McGregor207Turnout5,029
Knockiveagh Party Candidate 1st Pref Wilfred McFadden766 Raymond McCullough753 Samuel Cowan725 Laurence McCartan694 Herbert Heslip510 Peter McGreevy510 Helen Stewart395 William Hamilton343 Elizabeth McDowell157Turnout4,941
Belfast Balmoral Party Candidate 1st Pref Margaret Crooks2,438 Jim Kirkpatrick1,820 Billy Dickson1,638 Dorita Field1,332 John Montgomery1,326 James Stewart1,071 David Cook1,042 Joan Parkes998 Clarke Gibson620 Stanley Graham186 Shaun McKeown133 Victor Brennan127 William Stevenson56Turnout13,102
Castle Party Candidate 1st Pref John Carson3,153 Alban Maginness1,977 Frank Millar1,623 Nigel Dodds1,502 Alfred Redpath1,107 Tom Campbell799 Michael Whittley706 William Gault674 John Murphy579 Robert Jamison449 Katherine Johnston444Turnout13,391
CourtBelfast City Council Elections 1985–1989, Northern Ireland Elections Party Candidate 1st PrefProtestant UnionistGeorge Seawright2,970 Hugh Smyth1,761 Frederick Ashby1,420 Herbert Ditty1,197 Joe Coggle894 Fred Cobain804 William Dukelow626 James Sands624 William Baxter572 Samuel Doyle536 Harry Fitzsimmons432 Robert Morrow182 Peter Cullen157Turnout12,547