Craigavon Borough Council

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.

Craigavon Borough
  • Buirg Craigavon
Area378 km2 (146 sq mi) 
Ranked 19th of 26
District HQCraigavon
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Websitewww.craigavon.gov.uk
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland

The headquarters of the council were in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area included the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as well as smaller ones including Waringstown and Donaghcloney. The average council budget of £15.5 million provided a wide range of services to the 93,023 people living in the area.

The council area consisted of four electoral areas – Central, Loughside, Lurgan and Portadown – in which 26 councillors were elected every four years. The council held an annual meeting in June, at which a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected. Parties elected in 2011, the last elections for the council, were Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) nine seats, Sinn Féin eight, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) six, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) four, and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland one.

The last election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 2008, Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.[1] The proposed reforms were abandoned in 2010, and the 2011 Northern Ireland local elections took place to fill the last body on the council before being dissolved[2] The proposed reform took effect on 1 April 2015.

Together with part of the district of Banbridge, it was part of the Upper Bann constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Summary of seats won 1973–2011

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1973197719811985198919931997200120052011
Ulster Unionist (UUP)1110911121011866
Alliance (APNI)4312211
Vanguard (VUPP)4
Democratic Unionist (DUP)3476443699
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)2655667742
Independent Nationalist (IN)12
United Ulster Unionist (UUUP)11
Workers' Party (WP)12211
Sinn Féin (SF)2122468
Independent Unionist (IU)111

Note: The Workers' Party were known as The Republican Clubs in 1977 and Workers Party Republican Clubs in 1981.

Source: [1]

Mayor of Craigavon

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YearNamePolitical affiliationDeputyDeputy's affiliation
1973–75Joseph A. JohnstonUUPJames McCammickVanguard
1975–76James McCammickVanguardTom CreithUUP
1976–77Tom CreithUUPHerbert WhittenUUP
1977–78Sydney CairnsUUPBrian T. EnglishAlliance
1978–79Herbert WhittenUUPDavid CalvertDUP
1979–80Alan LockeUUPJames McDonaldSDLP
1980–81Frank DaleUUPSean HaganAlliance
1981–82Mary SimpsonUUPDavid CalvertDUP
1982–83Sam GardinerUUPJames GillespieUUP
1983–84James GillespieUUPFrederick BairdDUP
1984–85Arnold HatchUUPPatrick J. CrillySDLP
1985–87George SavageUUPJames GillespieUUP
1987–88Sydney CairnsUUPArnold HatchUUP
1988–89Sam GardinerUUPJames McCammickUUP
1989–91James McCammickUUPJoy Savage, then
Joe Trueman
UUP
1991–92Joe TruemanUUPFred CroweUUP
1992–93Fred CroweUUPSam LuttonUUP
1993–94Joy SavageUUPRuth AllenDUP
1994–95Brian MaguinnessUUPSean McKavanaghSDLP
1995–96Meta CrozierUUPHugh CaseySDLP
Independent Labour
1996 – Dec 96Hugh CaseyIndependent LabourSam LuttonUUP
Dec 1996 – 97Sam LuttonUUPHugh CaseyIndependent Labour
1998–99Mervyn CarrickDUPDolores KellySDLP
1999–00Dolores KellySDLPFred CroweUUP
2000–01Fred CroweUUPMark NealeUUP
2001–02Sam GardinerUUPJonathan BellDUP
2002–03Jonathan BellDUPSydney AndersonDUP
2003–04Ignatius FoxSDLPDavid SimpsonDUP
2004–05David SimpsonDUPIgnatius FoxSDLP
2005–06George SavageUUPRobert SmithDUP
2006–07Kenneth TwybleUUPMary McAlindenSDLP
2007–08Robert SmithDUPKenneth TwybleUUP
2008–09Sydney AndersonDUPArnold HatchUUP
2009–10Meta CrozierUUPPhilip WeirDUP
2010–11Stephen MoutrayDUPKieran CorrIndependent
2011–12Alan CarsonDUPGeorge SavageUUP
2012–13Carla LockhartDUPArnold HatchUUP
2013–14Mark BaxterDUPColin McCuskerUUP
2014–15Colin McCuskerUUPCatherine SeeleySinn Féin

Source: Freedom of Information request to Craigavon Borough Council

Final council makeup

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Below is a list of members who made up the final sitting of the council before it was dissolved.

NameParty
Jonathan BuckleyDUP
Phil MoutrayDUP
Robert SmithDUP
Mark BaxterDUP
Margaret TinsleyDUP
Alan CarsonDUP
Darryn CausbyDUP
Gladys McCulloughDUP
Carla LockhartDUP
Catherine SeeleySinn Féin
Mark O'DowdSinn Féin
Liam MackleSinn Féin
Mairead O'DowdSinn Féin
Paul DuffySinn Féin
Gemma McKennaSinn Féin
Thomas O'ConnorSinn Féin
Noel McGeownSinn Féin
Kyle SavageUUP
Arnold HatchUUP
Ronald HarknessUUP
Colin McCuskerUUP
Meta CrozierUUP
Kenneth TwybleUUP
Declan McAlindenSDLP
Joseph NelsonSDLP
Conrad DixonAlliance

Council services

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Population

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The area covered by Craigavon Borough Council had a population of 93,023 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Northern Ireland elections are postponed, BBC News, April 25, 2008, accessed April 27, 2008
  2. ^ "The executive fails to agree a deal on council reform". BBC News. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Coney Island". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  4. ^ "NI Census 2011 - Key Statistics Summary Report, September 2014" (PDF). NI Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 28 September 2014.

54°27′40″N 6°23′53″W / 54.461°N 6.398°W / 54.461; -6.398