1973 Northern Ireland local elections
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1973 Northern Ireland local elections
| flag_image =
| type = parliamentary
|country = Northern Ireland
| ongoing = no
| previous_election =
| previous_year =
| previous_mps =
| next_election = 1977 Northern Ireland local elections
| next_year = 1977
| next_mps =
| seats_for_election = All seats to 26 local authorities
| election_date = 30 May 1973
| image1 = Brian Faulkner (cropped).jpg
| leader1 = Brian Faulkner
| party1 = Ulster Unionist Party
| seats1 = 194
| popular_vote1 = 255,187
| percentage1 = 37.4%
| image2 = {{eppt|Social Democratic and Labour Party|SDLP}}
| leader2 = Gerry Fitt
| party2 = Social Democratic and Labour Party
| seats2 = 82
| popular_vote2 = 92,600
| percentage2 = 13.4%
| image4 = {{eppt|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|APNI}}
| leader4 = Oliver Napier
| party4 = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
| seats4 = 63
| popular_vote4 = 94,474
| percentage4 = 13.7%
| image5 = 160x160px
| leader5 = Ian Paisley
| party5 = Democratic Unionist Party
| seats5 = 21
| popular_vote5 = 28,811
| percentage5 = 4.1%
| map = {{Switcher
| 250px
| Council control
| 250px
| Party with the most seats
}}
| map_caption =
}}
{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1972-98}}
Local government in Northern Ireland was reorganised in 1973 by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The county councils, county borough and municipal borough corporations and urban and rural district councils were replaced by twenty-six local government districts.
Elections took place for all the seats on the district councils on 30 May 1973. Elections were by proportional representation, using the single transferable vote system. The district councils came into their powers on 1 October.[http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm Local Government Elections 1973 (Ark Social & Political Archive)]Big Roman Catholic turnout in poll despite threats, The Times, 31 May 1973Party accused over Ulster poll, The Times, 31 May 1973Unionist supporters elect many hard-line men in Ulster local government poll, The Times, 2 June 1973
Results
=Overall=
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party[http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm Local Government Elections 1973], Northern Ireland Elections
! colspan="2" | Councillors ! colspan="2" | Votes |
|---|
| style="text-align: right;" valign="top" | Total
! style="text-align: right;" valign="top" | +/- ! style="text-align: right;" valign="top" | % share ! style="text-align: right;" valign="top" | Total |
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}}
| align="right" |194 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |37.4 | align="right" |255,187 |
| {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}}
| align="right" |63 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |13.7 | align="right" |94,474 |
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}
| align="right" |82 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |13.4 | align="right" |92,600 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}}
| align="right" |52 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |7.0 | align="right" |48,947 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent Unionist}}
| align="right" |26 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |4.4 | align="right" |31,866 |
| |United Loyalist
| align="right" |20 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |4.2 | align="right" |28,906 |
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Unionist Party}}
| align="right" |21 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |4.1 | align="right" |28,811 |
| {{Party name with colour|Republican Clubs}}
| align="right" |8 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |3.0 | align="right" |20,680 |
| {{Party name with colour|Northern Ireland Labour Party}}
| align="right" |4 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |2.5 | align="right" |17,422 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} Loyalist
| align="right" |16 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |1.4 | align="right" |17,360 |
| {{Party name with colour|Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party}}
| align="right" |10 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |1.6 | align="right" |13,305 |
| {{Party name with colour|Unity (Northern Ireland)}}
| align="right" |6 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |1.5 | align="right" |10,281 |
| |Loyalist Coalition
| align="right" |3 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |1.0 | align="right" |7,495 |
| {{Party name with colour|Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)}}
| align="right" |4 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.5 | align="right" |3,784 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} Community
| align="right" |3 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.4 | align="right" |3,036 |
| {{Party name with colour|Republican Labour Party}}
| align="right" |0 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.4 | align="right" |2,594 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent Republican (Ireland)}}
| align="right" |3 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.2 | align="right" |1,911 |
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Liberal Party}}
| align="right" |0 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.1 | align="right" |704 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} Ratepayer
| align="right" |1 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.1 | align="right" |841 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} Radical
| align="right" |1 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.1 | align="right" |533 |
| {{Party name with colour|Communist Party of Ireland}}
| align="right" |0 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.1 | align="right" |363 |
| {{Party name with colour|Irish Labour Party}}
| align="right" |0 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.0 | align="right" |290 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent Nationalist}}
| align="right" |0 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.0 | align="right" |147 |
| {{Party name with colour|Independent Labour}}
| align="right" |0 | align="right" |N/A | align="right" |0.0 | align="right" |91 |
| Colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Total
| align="right" |462 | align="right" |{{steady}} | align="right" |100.0% | align="right" |681,628 |
=Results by council=
| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:center" |
| Council
! colspan="2" | Control ! colspan="2" | 1st party 1973 ! colspan="2" | 2nd party 1973 ! Councillors |
|---|
| Antrim
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} | {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} (8) | {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}} (2) | 15 |
| Belfast City
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} (25) | {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}} (8) | 51 |
| Ards
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} | {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} (11) | {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}} (2) | 17 |
| Armagh
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} (10) | {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}} (4) |20 |
| Ballymena
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Ballymoney
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Banbridge
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} | | | | | |
| Carrickfergus
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Castlereagh
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Coleraine
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} | | | | | |
| Cookstown
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Craigavon
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Down
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Dungannon
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} | | | | | |
| Fermanagh
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Larne
| | Loyalist | | Loyalist (8) | {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}} (3) |15 |
| Limavady
| |United Unionist | |United Unionist (8) | {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}} (4) |15 |
| Lisburn
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} | {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} (14) | {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}} (3) |23 |
| Londonderry
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}} (10) | | United Loyalist (9) |27 |
| Magherafelt
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Moyle
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Newry and Mourne
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Newtownabbey
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| North Down
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Omagh
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| Strabane
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} | | | | | |
| All councils
| | | {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}} (194) | {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}} (82) | 517 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Northern Ireland elections}}
{{United Kingdom local elections, 1973}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Ireland Local Government Elections, 1973}}
Category:1973 United Kingdom local elections