2014 Wicklow County Council election

Last updated

2014 Wicklow County Council election
Flag of Ireland.svg
  2009 23 May 2014 2019  

All 32 seats on Wicklow County Council
17 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Party Fine Gael Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin
Seats won876
Seat change-1+3+4

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Party Green Independent Labour
Seats won1100
Seat change+1+7-6

Wicklow in Ireland.svg
Area of Wicklow County Council

Council control before election

Fine Gael
Labour Party
Fianna Fáil

Council control after election

Fine Gael
Fianna Fáil
Independent

An election to all 32 seats on Wicklow County Council took place on 23 May 2014 as part of the 2014 Irish local elections, an increase from 24 seats at the 2009 election. In addition, the town councils of Arklow, Bray, Greystones and Wicklow were all abolished. County Wicklow was divided into five local electoral areas (LEAs) to elect councillors for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

Contents

Independents proved to be the biggest winners in the elections, gaining 7 seats to return to the council with 10 members. Sinn Féin gained 4 additional seats on the council, leaving them with 6 councillors in total. The additional seats helped to insulate Fine Gael from significant seat losses and they remained the largest party despite losing a seat overall. Fianna Fáil gained 3 seats overall to return with 7 members and though they had more first preference votes than Fine Gael, they won 1 less seat overall. Several of the successful Independents such as Joe Behan, Christopher Fox and Jim Ruttle had former Fianna Fáil connections. The Labour Party polled disastrously in the election and were wiped out in what had been one of their former strongholds, losing all 6 seats. Outgoing councillor and outgoing chairman, Jimmy O'Shaughnessy also lost his seat in the election. O'Shaughnessy was a former Labour member. However, 2 former Labour councillors, Tom Fortune and Tommy Cullen, were returned as Independents.

It was also notable that none of the mayors of the town councils were elected. Mick Glynn (FG; Bray), Malcolm Earls (FG; Wicklow) and Peter Dempsey (Ind; Arklow) all failed to be elected, while George Jones (FG; Greystones) retired after serving over 40 years as a Town Councillor and County Councillor.

Results by party

PartySeats±1st prefFPv%±%
Fine Gael 8-110,17919.9
Fianna Fáil 7+310,19619.9
Sinn Féin 6+48,49316.7
Green 1+11,2172.4
Labour 0-61,5953.1
People Before Profit 0-1,0542.05
Independent 10+718,22835.7
Total32+851,389100.0

Results by local electoral area

^  *: Outgoing councillor.
^  †: Outgoing councillor elected in 2009 in the Wicklow LEA for Labour ; contesting both Arklow and Wicklow LEAs.

Arklow

Arklow: 6 seats
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12345678910
Fianna Fáil Pat Fitzgerald [*] 20.551,937         
Fianna Fáil Pat Kennedy16.461,552         
Fianna Fáil Tommy Annesley9.168641,130 1,181 1,186 1,232 1,298 1,380   
Fine Gael Sylvester Bourke [*] 11.531,0871,132 1,156 1,158 1,179 1,243 1,370   
Independent Miriam Murphy6.31595651 669 691 747 815 933 949 1,233 1,245
Sinn Féin Mary McDonald7.91746776 787 811 853 872 972 976 1,088 1,092
Independent Tom Curran7.0660690 703 731 766 807 892 902 1,075 1,082
Independent Peter Dempsey6.54617692 695 703 767 813 850 853   
Independent Jimmy O'Shaughnessy [] 6.55618629 699 714 743 768     
Labour Mary Mooty3.42322350 355 359 376      
Independent Nicky Kelly [*] 3.0283322 329 349       
Direct Democracy Brian Whelan1.0397102 104        
Independent Charlie Keddy0.535055 56        
Electorate: 16,752  Valid: 9,428 (56.28%)  Spoilt: 104  Quota: 1,347  Turnout: 9,532 (56.90%)  

    Baltinglass

    Baltinglass: 6 seats
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    123456789
    Independent Tommy Cullen [*] 16.901,802        
    Sinn Féin Gerry O'Neill14.451,541        
    Independent Jim Ruttle [*] 14.421,538        
    Fine Gael Edward Timmins [*] 11.951,2741,374 1,381 1,402 1,405 1,411 1,434 1,513 1,850
    Fine Gael Vincent Blake [*] 11.661,2441,255 1,258 1,285 1,285 1,285 1,389 1,402 1,468
    Fianna Fáil Pat Doran [*] 9.981,0641,086 1,086 1,115 1,115 1,116 1,162 1,305 1,324
    Sinn Féin Aidan Kinsella6.09650685 689 716 723 724 792 823 840
    Fine Gael Lorcan McMahon5.45581596 603 611 615 618 627 723  
    Fianna Fáil Joe McCormac3.81406439 446 456 458 460 473   
    Independent Kevin Byrne2.51268287 312 380 381 382    
    Independent Jillian Godsil1.81193214 250       
    Independent Dominic Plant0.687390        
    Independent Charlie Keddy0.293136        
    Electorate: 18,501  Valid: 10,665 (57.65%)  Spoilt: 123  Quota: 1,524  Turnout: 10,788 (58.31%)  

      Bray

      Bray: 8 seats
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      12345678910111213141516
      Sinn Féin John Brady [*] 16.952,142               
      Independent Joe Behan 12.111,516               
      Independent Christopher Fox [*] 11.851,484               
      Sinn Féin Oliver O'Brien5.396751,163 1,205 1,210 1,214 1,222 1,254 1,271 1,283 1,309 1,314 1,336 1,341 1,541  
      Independent Brendan Thornhill6.55820843 896 903 912 947 964 1,004 1,013 1,102 1,138 1,217 1,298 1,498  
      Green Steven Matthews 6.01752768 791 797 799 813 826 847 865 888 953 1,073 1,163 1,302 1,346 1,381
      Fine Gael John Ryan [*] 4.71590594 607 617 617 620 624 634 647 656 851 942 1,312 1,339 1,347 1,358
      Fianna Fáil Pat Vance [*] 5.41677691 720 729 731 737 743 755 767 786 816 860 942 974 986 998
      Fianna Fáil David Grant5.12641665 722 728 729 732 744 760 771 799 814 853 921 970 976 989
      People Before Profit Sharon Briggs4.47560638 667 673 676 703 750 770 783 817 834 881 907    
      Fine Gael Mick Glynn [*] 4.39550560 580 588 589 592 595 607 615 630 746 842     
      Labour Ronan McManus3.58448461 481 487 490 497 500 513 623 639 677      
      Fine Gael Sarah Wray3.93492498 505 515 517 519 521 529 554 565       
      Independent Barry Nevin [*] 1.65207224 225 250 254 271 288 318 322        
      Labour Tracy O'Brien1.76220231 240 243 244 244 247 251         
      Independent Eugene Finnegan1.34168185 211 217 221 232 246          
      Independent Catherine Hannon-Kennedy1.16145162 179 182 189 198           
      Independent Seay Ledwidge1.0126133 142 146 154            
      Independent Charlie Keddy0.394954 59 61             
      Electorate: 23,347  Valid: 12,522 (53.63%)  Spoilt: 148  Quota: 1,392  Turnout: 12,670 (54.27%)  

        Greystones

        Greystones: 6 seats
        PartyCandidateFPv%Count
        1234567891011
        Independent Jennifer Whitmore 27.442,328          
        Independent Tom Fortune [*] 14.641,242          
        Fine Gael Derek Mitchell [*] 9.56811931 941 944 975 1,006 1,111 1,145 1,278  
        Fine Gael Gráinne McLoughlin [*] 7.46633755 771 774 808 851 922 960 1,167 1,215 
        Fianna Fáil Gerry Walsh7.45632732 747 749 755 806 827 1,043 1,068 1,074 1,110
        Sinn Féin Nicola Lawless8.08686757 796 800 823 840 847 882 896 897 1,090
        Green Niall Byrne3.58304462 480 483 542 555 578 611 668 676 800
        People Before Profit Jacqui Johnston3.88329452 490 495 516 532 547 577 591 593  
        Fine Gael Liz Dillon3.65310405 411 412 442 454 511 532    
        Fianna Fáil James Doyle3.83325380 393 395 410 478 505     
        Fine Gael David O'Reilly3.36283345 349 350 369 383      
        Fianna Fáil Taragh Hanley2.82239295 302 304 306       
        Labour Ian McGahon2.22188273 283 286        
        Independent Charlie Keddy2.10178243          
        Electorate: 16,531  Valid: 8,485 (51.33%)  Spoilt: 81  Quota: 1,213  Turnout: 8,566 (51.82%)  

          Wicklow

          Wicklow: 6 seats
          PartyCandidateFPv%Count
          123456789101112131415
          Sinn Féin John Snell [*] 15.331,577              
          Independent Dáire Nolan11.261,1591,162 1,169 1,170 1,176 1,180 1,191 1,196 1,266 1,281 1,317 1,370 1,394 1,468 1,475
          Fianna Fáil Pat Casey [*] 11.201,1521,157 1,161 1,162 1,166 1,173 1,176 1,190 1,197 1,218 1,238 1,301 1,320 1,342 1,404
          Fine Gael Shay Cullen9.851,0131,016 1,022 1,024 1,025 1,035 1,039 1,048 1,061 1,076 1,095 1,156 1,212 1,224 1,330
          Fine Gael Irene Winters [*] 7.47769772 772 776 777 794 799 830 834 864 888 930 1,024 1,072 1,328
          Independent Pat Kavanagh5.19534538 543 556 573 587 625 637 655 702 825 880 930 1,109 1,200
          Fianna Fáil Gail Dunne6.87707711 712 715 722 724 729 752 757 775 799 824 885 947 1,082
          Fine Gael Malcolm Earls5.27542547 550 555 560 569 572 595 598 623 647 685 789 827  
          Sinn Féin Garrett O'Reilly4.63476519 522 531 542 549 573 580 615 635 666 708 761   
          Labour Paul O'Brien4.05417424 426 428 432 453 460 471 479 498 543 580    
          Independent Jimmy O'Shaughnessy [] 3.98409422 425 431 437 447 456 471 477 508 539     
          Independent John Goodman3.72383386 387 390 397 404 417 426 435 457      
          Independent Gerry Kinsella2.40247252 258 265 269 281 294 302 307       
          Éirígí Seán Doyle1.79184186 189 191 195 196 217 219        
          Independent Mervyn Morrison1.69174175 175 176 180 190 193         
          People Before Profit Anna Doyle1.60165167 168 172 174 187          
          Green Paul Leahy1.56161161 161 166 170           
          Independent Michael Mulvihill0.868891 93 94 94           
          Direct Democracy Norman Phillips0.717374 76             
          Independent Charlie Keddy0.575959              
          Electorate: 18,303  Valid: 10,289 (56.21%)  Spoilt: 91  Quota: 1,470  Turnout: 10,380 (56.71%)  

            Aftermath

            Following the elections, the Fine Gael group with 8 councillors, the Fianna Fáil group with 7 councillors and an independent technical group of 4 councillors came together to become the "official/government" side of the council, while the Sinn Féin group with 6 councillors, the Green Party councillor and an independent technical group of 5 councillors formed the "opposition" side of the council. One independent councillor refused to join either side and remained on his own.

            Following the election, at the first Annual General Meeting of the council, Christopher Fox (Independent) was elected Cathaoirleach (chairman) of the council. John Ryan (Fine Gael) was elected as Leas-Cathaoirleach (Vice-chairman) of the council.

            The "control" of the council was a rainbow coalition of Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil/Independent. The opposition side consisted of Sinn Féin/Green Party/Independent.

            Changes

            Co-options

            PartyOutgoingLEAReasonDateCo-optee
            Independent Pat Kavanagh WicklowDeath7 March 2016Mary Kavanagah
            Sinn Féin John Brady BrayElected to the 32nd Dáil at the 2016 general election March 2016Michael O'Connor
            Fianna Fáil Pat Casey WicklowElected to the 32nd Dáil at the 2016 general election March 2016Gail Dunne

            Changes in affiliation

            NameLEAElected asNew affiliationDate
            Jennifer Whitmore Greystones Independent Social Democrats 15 November 2015
            Oliver O'Brien Bray Sinn Féin Independent August 2017
            Gerry O'Neill Greystones Sinn Féin Independent August 2017
            John Snell Wicklow Sinn Féin Independent August 2017
            Oliver O'Brien Bray Independent Aontú 9 December 2018
            Mary McDonald Arklow Sinn Féin Independent 10 March 2019

            Sources

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            References