Local government election in Northern Ireland
1977 Ards Borough Council election
Elections to Ards Borough Council were held on 18 May 1977 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections . The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 17 councillors .
Election results
Ards Borough Council Election Result 1977[ 1]
Party
Seats
Gains
Losses
Net gain/loss
Seats %
Votes %
Votes
+/−
UUP
6
0
5
5
35.3
31.8
5,368
22.7
Alliance
5
3
0
3
29.4
20.8
3,507
6.0
DUP
3
3
0
3
17.6
13.8
2,322
New
NI Labour
1
0
0
0
5.9
8.0
1,349
2.7
Ind. Unionist
1
1
1
0
0.0
6.2
1,042
2.0
SDLP
1
0
0
0
5.9
5.7
964
0.1
Independent
0
0
0
0
0.0
5.8
971
5.8
Unionist Party NI
0
0
0
0
0.0
5.3
886
New
Vanguard
0
0
0
0
0.0
1.6
277
5.6
UUUP
0
0
0
0
0.0
1.0
170
New
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.
Districts summary
Results of the Ards Borough Council election, 1977 by district[ 1]
Ward
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
%
Cllrs
Total Cllrs
UUP
Alliance
DUP
NILP
SDLP
Others
Area A
32.1
3
23.3
2
12.5
1
0.0
0
14.7
1
17.4
0
7
Area B
30.1
2
21.2
2
13.0
1
22.5
1
0.0
0
13.2
0
6
Area C
33.8
1
16.5
1
13.1
1
0.0
0
0.0
0
36.6
1
4
Total
31.8
6
20.8
5
13.8
3
8.0
1
5.7
1
19.9
1
17
Districts results
Area A
1973: 6 x UUP, 1 x SDLP
1977: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP
1973-1977 Change: Alliance (two seats) and DUP gain from UUP (three seats)
Ards Area A - 7 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Alliance
Charles Dunleath
20.39%
1,339
DUP
Joseph Thompson *
14.94%
981
SDLP
Patrick Doherty *
14.68%
964
Alliance
William Sheldon
2.89%
190
568.8
571.86
600.93
601.93
607.61
612.61
629.49
636.46
796.17
896.17
UUP
John Scott *
6.79%
446
453.6
467.71
468.22
471.41
480.36
491.1
500.27
672.78
674.29
823.29
UUP
William Caughey
6.87%
451
471.8
487.61
487.95
489.66
507.16
561.82
567.52
630.82
632.62
692.58
706.58
UUP
Robert Ambrose
4.37%
287
294.6
320.1
320.61
335.46
373.95
437.32
535.52
565.02
575.44
626.94
647.94
UUP
Oliver Johnston*
7.01%
460
466.4
475.41
475.92
477.09
480.28
493.12
497.8
529.42
531.42
566.01
578.01
Unionist Party NI
Michael Long
5.65%
371
401.4
406.67
407.69
408.09
411.77
421.11
451.85
477.96
499.54
Independent
James McMullan
4.77%
313
343.8
343.97
446.14
446.14
447.71
449.91
453.1
454.27
UUP
Henry Cosbey*
4.69%
308
316
325.69
326.03
327.2
333.61
343.69
346.77
Independent
Francis McMaster
1.95%
128
133.2
142.72
144.76
175.45
207.96
218.98
UUP
William Keag
2.41%
158
166
172.97
173.99
179.84
193.41
Ind. Unionist
Robert Mason
1.55%
102
108.4
150.56
150.73
169.78
Ind. Unionist
Vera Shaw
1.04%
68
71.2
83.1
83.1
Electorate: 13,817 Valid: 6,566 (47.52%) Spoilt: 227 Quota: 821 Turnout: 6,793 (49.16%)
Area B
1973: 3 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x NILP, 1 x Loyalist
1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x NILP, 1 x DUP
1973-1977 Change: Alliance and DUP gain from UUP and Loyalist
Ards Area B - 6 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
NI Labour
Robert Gaw *
14.06%
843
874
DUP
Hugh Boyd
13.01%
780
868
UUP
John Algie *
13.71%
822
861
UUP
William Boal
6.36%
381
415
418.5
512.5
774.5
852.2
Alliance
Herbert Gallagher
10.94%
656
667
669.8
685.8
720.8
813.5
Alliance
Owen Dorrian *
10.23%
613
621
621
626
638.7
802.4
Unionist Party NI
Cecilia Cooke*
8.59%
515
536
537.4
562.4
649.1
733.5
NI Labour
William Allen
8.44%
506
515
520.6
541.3
567.3
UUP
Hugh Yeaman
5.24%
314
323
325.1
457.8
UUP
William Spratt
4.80%
288
302
303.4
Vanguard
Robert Brown*
4.62%
277
Electorate: 15,342 Valid: 5,995 (39.08%) Spoilt: 232 Quota: 857 Turnout: 6,227 (40.59%)
Area C
1973: 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist
1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist
1973-1977 Change: DUP gain from UUP
Ards Area C - 4 seats[ 2]
Party
Candidate
FPv%
Count
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
UUP
Hamilton McKeag *
19.16%
823
842
869
Ind. Unionist
John Shields
12.11%
520
542
552
558
585
639
1,049
Alliance
Jim McBriar *
10.43%
448
451
452
687
706
779
824
917.84
DUP
Thomas Gourley
13.06%
561
578
701
701
716
747
768
796.56
804.96
UUP
Harold Porter
8.10%
348
350
352
356
540
611
681
744.92
793.92
Independent
James Middleton
9.73%
418
434
442
452
482
584
Ind. Unionist
James Caughey*
8.20%
352
359
363
365
379
UUP
Adela Hamilton
6.57%
282
284
291
292
Alliance
Alice Rudnitzky
6.08%
261
264
265
UUUP
William Dempster
3.77%
170
187
Independent
Arthur Spence
2.61%
112
Electorate: 9,514 Valid: 4,295 (45.14%) Spoilt: 120 Quota: 860 Turnout: 4,415 (46.41%)
References