Local government in Northern Ireland

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Local government in Northern Ireland is divided among 11 districts. Councils in Northern Ireland do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom; for example they have no responsibility for education, road-building or housing (although they do nominate members to the advisory Northern Ireland Housing Council). Their functions include planning, waste and recycling services, leisure and community services, building control and local economic and cultural development. The collection of rates is handled centrally by the Land and Property Services agency of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Contents

Local Government Districts

Northern Ireland, administrative divisions - Nmbrs - colored.svg

The 11 districts were established in 2015. [1] [2] Basic geographical statistics are shown below. Previously (between 1972 and 2015) the country was divided into 26 smaller districts.

DistrictCouncilMeeting placePopulation [3]
2021 Census
Density
per km2
Area
in km²

on map
Antrim and Newtownabbey Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Newtownabbey and Antrim (alternately)145,8522555713
Ards and North Down Ards and North Down Borough Council Bangor 163,8273574582
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Craigavon 219,1271651,3326
Belfast Belfast City Council Belfast 345,0062,5951331
Causeway Coast and Glens Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Coleraine [4] 141,664721,9808
Derry and Strabane Derry City and Strabane District Council Derry 150,8341221,23710
Fermanagh and Omagh Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Omagh and Enniskillen [5] 116,926412,83611
Lisburn and Castlereagh Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council Lisburn [6] 149,2722965044
Mid and East Antrim Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Ballymena [7] 139,1271331,0457
Mid Ulster Mid Ulster District Council Dungannon [8] 150,598831,8239
Newry, Mourne and Down Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Downpatrick and Newry 182,3451121,6285

Composition of District Councils

Based on the 2023 Northern Ireland local elections.

Name  SF  DUP APNI UUP SDLP TUV GPNI PBP PUP Ind. Total
Antrim & Newtownabbey 913871240
Ards & North Down 1412812340
Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon 15134611141
Belfast 22141125131160
Causeway Coast & Glens 12135432140
Derry & Strabane 1853101340
Fermanagh & Omagh 216273140
Lisburn & Castlereagh 4141362140
Mid & East Antrim 414785240
Mid-Ulster 191125340
Newry, Mourne & Down 205518241
Total144122675439952119462

Last updated 23 May 2023

History

The current pattern of 11 local government districts was established on 1 April 2015, as a result of the reform process that started in 2005.

The previous pattern of local government in Northern Ireland, with 26 councils, was established in 1973 by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 to replace the previous system established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. The system was based on the recommendations of the Macrory Report, of June 1970, which presupposed the continued existence of the Government of Northern Ireland to act as a regional-level authority. [9]

From 1921 to 1973, Northern Ireland was divided into six administrative counties (subdivided into urban and rural districts) and two county boroughs. The counties and county boroughs continue to exist for the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. [10] This system, with the abolition of rural districts, remains the model for local government in the Republic of Ireland. (See also List of rural and urban districts in Northern Ireland for more details)

Elections

Councillors are elected for a four-year term of office under the single transferable vote (STV) system. Elections were last held on 18 May 2023. To qualify for election, a councillor candidate must be:

In addition, they must either:

Combinations

The districts are combined for various purposes.

Eurostat NUTS level 3

In the Eurostat Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), Northern Ireland is divided into five parts at level 3

NameAreaPopulation (2011) % of population
UKN01Belfast280,96215.5 NUTS 3 regions of Northern Ireland map.svg
UKN02Outer BelfastCarrickfergus, Castlereagh, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, North Down391,56021.6
UKN03EastAntrim, Ards, Ballymena, Banbridge, Craigavon, Down, Larne439,68224.3
UKN04NorthBallymoney, Coleraine, Derry, Limavady, Moyle, Strabane288,13815.9
UKN05West and SouthArmagh, Cookstown, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Magherafelt, Newry and Mourne, Omagh411,89322.7

Former Education and Library Boards

There were five education and library boards (ELBs) in Northern Ireland.

As part of the Review of Public Administration process, the library functions of the ELBs were taken over by a new body, the Northern Ireland Library Authority (branded Libraries NI) in April 2009. [11]

The education and skills functions were centralised into a single Education Authority for Northern Ireland in April 2015. [12]

The boards were as follows:

NameArea
1.Belfast Northern Ireland Education.png
2.North EasternAntrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Larne, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newtownabbey
3.South EasternArds, Castlereagh, Down, Lisburn and North Down
4.SouthernArmagh, Banbridge, Cookstown, Craigavon, Dungannon and South Tyrone, Newry and Mourne
5.WesternDerry, Fermanagh, Limavady, Omagh, Strabane

Former Health and Social Services Boards

There were four health and social services boards which were replaced by a single Health and Social Care Board in April 2009. [13]

The former health and social services boards were as follows:

NameArea
1.EasternArds, Belfast, Castlereagh, Down, Lisburn, North Down Northern Ireland Health Boards.png
2.NorthernAntrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Cookstown, Larne, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newtownabbey
3.SouthernArmagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Dungannon and South Tyrone, Newry and Mourne
4.WesternDerry, Fermanagh, Limavady, Omagh, Strabane

Reform

In June 2002, the Northern Ireland Executive established a Review of Public Administration to review the arrangements for the accountability, development, administration and delivery of public services. Among its recommendations were a reduction in the number of districts. [14] In 2005 Peter Hain, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced proposals to reduce the number of councils to seven. [15] The names and boundaries of the seven districts were announced in March 2007. [16] In March 2008 the restored Northern Executive agreed to create eleven new councils instead of the original seven. [17] [18] The first elections were due to take place in May 2011. However, by May 2010 disagreements among parties in the executive over district boundaries were expected to delay the reforms until 2015. [19] In June 2010 the proposed reforms were abandoned following the failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to reach agreement. [20] [21] However, on 12 March 2012, the Northern Ireland Executive published its programme for government, which included a commitment to reduce the number of councils in Northern Ireland to 11. [22]

See also

Tables relating to the old 26 council system

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties of Ireland</span> Administrative division of Ireland, historically 32 in number

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlereagh (borough)</span> District of Northern Ireland (1973–2015)

    Castlereagh was a local government district with the status of borough in Northern Ireland. It merged with Lisburn City Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, with a small amount being transferred to Belfast City Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymoney (borough)</span> District of Northern Ireland (1973–2015)

    Ballymoney was a local government district with borough status in Northern Ireland. It was headquartered in Ballymoney. Other towns in the borough included Dervock, Dunloy, Cloughmills and Rasharkin. The borough had a population of 31,224 according to the 2011 census.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtownabbey Borough Council</span> Local authority in Northern Ireland

    Newtownabbey Borough Council was a Local Authority in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, on the north shore of Belfast Lough just immediately north of Belfast. The Council merged with Antrim Borough Council in April 2015 under local government reform in Northern Ireland to form Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Armagh City and District Council</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

    Armagh City and District Council was a district council in County Armagh in Northern Ireland. It merged with Banbridge District Council and Craigavon Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleraine Borough Council</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

    Coleraine Borough Council was a local council mainly in County Londonderry and partly in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymoney Borough Council, Limavady Borough Council and Moyle District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Causeway Coast and Glens District Council

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookstown District Council</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

    Cookstown District Council was a district council covering an area largely in County Tyrone and partly in County Londonderry. It merged with Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council and Magherafelt District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid-Ulster District Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigavon Borough Council</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

    Craigavon Borough Council was a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. It merged with Armagh City and District Council and Banbridge District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Larne Borough Council</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

    Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Carrickfergus Borough Council in May 2015 under the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland to become Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Local government in the Republic of Ireland</span> Tier of administration in Ireland

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971</span> United Kingdom legislation

    The Local Government (Boundaries) Act 1971 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, passed in 1971 to replace the previous system of local authorities established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. The system was based on the recommendations of the Macrory Report, of June 1970, which presupposed the continued existence of the Government of Northern Ireland to act as a regional-level authority.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Civil Service</span> Permanent bureaucracy of the Northern Ireland Executive

    The Northern Ireland Civil Service is the permanent bureaucracy of employees that supports the Northern Ireland Executive, the devolved government of Northern Ireland.

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Antrim and Newtownabbey</span> Local government district in Northern Ireland

    Antrim and Newtownabbey is a local government district in Northern Ireland. The district was created on 1 April 2015 by merging the Borough of Antrim with the Borough of Newtownabbey. The local authority is Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Ulster District Council</span> Local authority in Northern Ireland

    Mid Ulster District Council is a local authority that was established on 1 April 2015. It replaced Cookstown District Council, Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council and Magherafelt District Council. The first elections to the authority took place on 22 May 2014 and it acted as a shadow authority, prior to the creation of the Mid Ulster district on 1 April 2015.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Reform of local government in Northern Ireland</span>

    Reform of local government in Northern Ireland saw the replacement of the twenty-six districts created in 1973 with a smaller number of "super districts". The review process began in 2002, with proposals for either seven or eleven districts made before it was suspended in 2010. On 12 March 2012, the Northern Ireland Executive published its programme for government, which included a commitment to reduce the number of councils in Northern Ireland to 11. The first elections to these new councils were on 22 May 2014.

    Antrim Borough Council was the local authority of Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Newtownabbey Borough Council on 1 April 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

    Ballymena Borough Council was the local authority of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. It merged with Carrickfergus Borough Council and Larne Borough Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Government Reform Act 2014</span> Law amending the structures of local government in Ireland

    The Local Government Reform Act 2014 is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, abolished all second-tier town and borough councils, and created a new second tier of municipal districts covering rural as well as urban areas. It also provided for a plebiscite on whether to create a directly elected executive Mayor of the Dublin Metropolitan Area although this provision was not activated. The act was introduced as a bill on 15 October 2013 by Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, and signed into law on 27 January 2014 by President Michael D. Higgins. Most of its provisions came into force on 1 June 2014.

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