Belfast Area A

Area A was one of the eight district electoral areas (DEA) which existed in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1973 to 1985. Located in the south-east of the city, the district elected seven members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Ballymacarrett; Ballynafeigh; Orangefield; Ormeau; Rosetta; The Mount and Willowfield. The DEA formed part of the Belfast South and Belfast East constituencies.

History

The area was created for the 1973 local government elections, combining the whole of the former Ormeau ward with most of the former Pottinger ward. It was abolished for the 1985 local government elections. The Rosetta and Ballynafeigh wards became part of a new Laganbank DEA, while the remaining five wards joined the Bloomfield ward, formerly part of Area B, in the new Pottinger DEA.

Councillors

Election	Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)
1981		Donnell Deeny (Alliance)		Grace Bannister (UUP)		William Blair (UUP)		Jeremy Burchill (UUP)		Sammy Wilson (DUP)		John Foster (DUP)		Raymond McCrea (DUP)
1977		Basil Glass (Alliance)						Denis Loretto (Alliance)		Alasdair McDonnell (SDLP)		Robert Newman (DUP)
1973		Patricia Carson (Alliance)						Benjamin Horan (UUP)		Thomas Gildea (UUP)		William Elliott (Vanguard)		Erskine Holmes (NILP)

1981 Election

1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x SDLP

1981: 3 x DUP, 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance

1977-1981 Change: DUP and UUP gain from Alliance and SDLP

Area A - 7 seats ^[1]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
	DUP	John Foster	18.32%	3,333
	UUP	Jeremy Burchill	14.23%	2,589
	DUP	Raymond McCrea *	12.87%	2,342
	DUP	Sammy Wilson	8.13%	1,479	2,431.64
	UUP	Grace Bannister *	11.29%	2,055	2,081.88	2,202	2,265	2,285.64
	Alliance	Donnell Deeny	7.91%	1,439	1,440.92	1,447.52	1,449.41	1,450.05	1,460.09	1,464.57	1,477.81	1,553.17	1,560.49	1,645.85	1,657.44	2,463.44
	UUP	William Blair*	4.95%	900	918.56	1,024.64	1,054.7	1,067.14	1,072.27	1,101.76	1,211.3	1,250.36	1,250.36	1,258.63	1,742.86	1,793.34	1,936.94	1,944.62
	SDLP	Alasdair McDonnell*	6.94%	1,262	1,263.6	1,263.84	1,264.02	1,264.34	1,272.66	1,272.66	1,273.66	1,291.66	1,660.75	1,856.1	1,856.27	1,889.76	1,932.16	1,932.16
	Alliance	Mervyn Jones	4.21%	766	771.44	770.16	779.69	781.21	787.21	791.6	808.62	907.05	913.05	964.37	984.13
	UUP	Tony Wilkins	2.99%	544	569.28	611.76	634.26	645.94	650.19	669.27	721.95	733.24	734.24	736.33
	Republican Clubs	Francis Cullen	2.30%	418	419.28	419.52	419.88	419.88	445.01	446.33	446.76	467.3	483.3
	SDLP	Patrick McGourty	2.25%	410	410.64	410.76	410.85	410.89	412.89	412.89	412.89	419.98
	NI Labour	Derek Peters	1.52%	276	278.24	278.72	279.44	279.8	297.89	306.35	310.55
	UPUP	Benjamin Horan	1.03%	187	196.28	206.12	223.31	228.67	230.67	239.44
	Independent	John McKeague	0.54%	99	103.8	107.88	116.34	120.94	126.26
	Communist	James Stewart	0.25%	97	98.92	99.52	100.15	100.51
Electorate: 31,215  Valid: 18,196 (58.29%)  Spoilt: 937  Quota: 2,275  Turnout: 19,133 (61.29%)

1977 Election

1973: 4 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Vanguard, 1 x NILP

1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x SDLP

1973-1977 Change: DUP (two seats), Alliance and SDLP gain from UUP (two seats), Vanguard and NILP

Area A - 7 seats ^[2]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
	Alliance	Basil Glass	16.03%	2,580
	UUP	Grace Bannister *	14.70%	2,367
	DUP	Raymond McCrea	11.88%	1,912	1,914.31	1,918.6	1,918.66	1,918.66	1,918.66	1,963.81	2,076.21
	UUP	William Blair*	6.37%	1,026	1,035.66	1,270.56	1,275.07	1,276.07	1,290.28	1,349.33	1,465.68	1,466.9	1,709.49	1,774.11	2,358.11
	DUP	Robert Newman	9.62%	1,549	1,549.63	1,552.33	1,552.33	1,554.33	1,601.78	1,618.78	1,631.23	1,682.47	1,708.38	1,724.38	1,764.02	1,798.02	2,368.02
	Alliance	Denis Loretto	4.14%	667	1,109.47	1,115.17	1,130.01	1,152.43	1,156.85	1,168.42	1,174.29	1,174.29	1,187.64	1,542.09	1,602.75	1,649.75	1,711.71	1,723.71
	SDLP	Alasdair McDonnell	8.47%	1,364	1,397.6	1,398.2	1,408.56	1,566.55	1,567.55	1,571.55	1,571.55	1,571.55	1,573.55	1,633.23	1,636.23	1,638.23	1,643.44	1,644.44
	Unionist Party NI	Thomas Jordan	5.93%	954	970.8	979.5	979.5	981.5	988.65	1,002.88	1,015.48	1,016.7	1,055.08	1,122.16	1,195.53	1,300.53	1,481.48	1,609.48
	UUUP	Benjamin Horan*	4.20%	676	679.99	687.79	687.79	687.79	897.24	954.05	960.26	963.92	990.78	1,013.78	1,100.7	1,202.7
	UUP	Thomas Gildea*	3.00%	483	486.78	524.88	527.88	527.88	534.03	573.53	651.89	656.16	936.8	978.4
	NI Labour	Brian Garrett	3.69%	594	610.17	614.37	667.21	697.63	699.84	715.84	719.14	719.14	728.14
	UUP	Walter Shannon	2.81%	452	454.52	475.07	476.07	476.07	480.43	489.03	654.82	656.04
	UUP	Alfred Shaw	2.35%	378	379.89	393.84	396.84	396.84	400.14	409.74
	Ind. Unionist	William Elliott*	2.35%	379	380.05	385.75	387.38	387.38	388.38
	UUUP	Philip Moles	2.14%	345	345.84	347.79	347.79	349
	Republican Clubs	Terence McGrattan	1.73%	278	280.73	280.88	280.88
	NI Labour	Derek Peters	0.58%	93	95.94	96.54
Electorate: 24,230  Valid: 16,097 (66.43%)  Spoilt: 801  Quota: 2,013  Turnout: 16,898 (69.74%)

1973 Election

1973: 4 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Vanguard, 1 x NILP

Area A - 7 seats ^[3]

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	UUP	Grace Bannister	25.50%	6,328
	UUP	William Blair	6.04%	1,498	3,050	3,050	3,053.5	3,065.5	3,066.5	3,098.5	3,103.5
	UUP	Benjamin Horan	11.15%	2,768	2,958.5	2,959.5	2,959.5	2,982	2,984	3,069.5	3,075.5	3,099	3,176
	UUP	Thomas Gildea	6.44%	1,598	2,079	2,079	2,084.5	2,096.5	2,096.5	2,111	2,122	2,146.5	2,170.5	2,786	2,792	3,714
	Alliance	Patricia Carson	5.30%	1,315	1,373	1,376	1,440	1,440	1,457	1,459	1,675.5	2,398.5	2,410	2,444.5	2,444.5	2,535.5	2,688.5	3,226.5
	Vanguard	William Elliott	5.33%	1,322	1,358.5	1,358.5	1,358.5	1,418.5	1,419.5	1,498	1,500	1,506	1,622	1,698	1,705	1,773.5	1,847.5	1,850.5	3,049
	NI Labour	Erskine Holmes	5.39%	1,337	1,378.5	1,421.5	1,431.5	1,437	1,662.5	1,669.5	1,730	1,841	1,856	1,881.5	1,884.5	1,953	2,048	2,860.5	2,901.5
	DUP	Thomas Wright	4.67%	1,158	1,176.5	1,177.5	1,177.5	1,209.5	1,212.5	1,269.5	1,271.5	1,273.5	1,860.5	1,889	1,927	2,025	2,184	2,187	2,391.5
	United Loyalist	W. Dougherty	4.83%	1,198	1,265	1,265	1,265	1,317	1,317	1,405	1,406	1,414	1,527.5	1,568	1,571	1,619	1,666	1,670
	SDLP	Ben Caraher	5.25%	1,302	1,309.5	1,329.5	1,332.5	1,332.5	1,445	1,446	1,483	1,502.5	1,504	1,509.5	1,510.5	1,512.5	1,512.5
	UUP	John McKeown	4.11%	1,021	1,218.5	1,218.5	1,221.5	1,226.5	1,226.5	1,238	1,240	1,252	1,274	1,463.5	1,476.5
	UUP	Emma Dunbar	2.20%	546	964.5	965.5	967.5	971.5	971.5	996.5	1,001.5	1,020.5	1,056
	DUP	W. G. Greene	3.52%	874	905	907	907	937.5	940.5	1,004.5	1,005.5	1,013.5
	Alliance	Sam Edgerton	2.83%	702	716	720	756	761	780	784	979.5
	Alliance	Bernadette Hopkirk	1.73%	430	435.5	436.5	494.5	497	550	552
	Ind. Unionist	J. Keenan	1.74%	432	443	443	446	479	480
	NI Labour	J. Murray	1.70%	421	422.5	440.5	446.5	450.5
	Ulster Constitution Party	Lindsay Mason	1.09%	271	280	280	281
	Alliance	Jacqueline Maguire	0.77%	192	194	196
	Communist	H. Moore	0.41%	101	101
Electorate: 38,311  Valid: 24,814 (64.77%)  Spoilt: 360  Quota: 3,102  Turnout: 25,174 (65.71%)

References

1. "Local Government Results 1981". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
2. "Local Government Results 1977". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
3. "Local Government Results 1973". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.