# 1985 Banbridge District Council election

Elections to Banbridge District Council were held on 15 May 1985 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 15 councillors.

## Election results

Banbridge District Council Election Result 1985 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| UUP | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.3 | 47.2 | 7,022 | 5.1 |
| DUP | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20.0 | 25.4 | 3,775 | 1.1 |
| SDLP | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20.0 | 18.7 | 2,787 | 3.8 |
| Ind. Nationalist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 | 4.7 | 694 | 1.7 |
| Alliance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 234 | 3.0 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 364 | 0.5 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Banbridge District Council election, 1985 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | UUP | UUP | DUP | DUP | SDLP | SDLP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Banbridge Town | 44.2 | 3 | 25.5 | 1 | 18.6 | 1 | 11.7 | 0 | 5 |
| Dromore | 49.5 | 3 | 31.5 | 1 | 19.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Knockiveagh | 48.0 | 2 | 19.1 | 1 | 18.6 | 1 | 14.3 | 1 | 5 |
| Total | 47.2 | 8 | 25.4 | 3 | 18.7 | 3 | 8.7 | 1 | 15 |

## District results
### Banbridge Town

1985: 3 x UUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x DUP
Banbridge Town - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | Jim Wells | 17.85% | 912 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Archie McKelvey | 17.40% | 889 | | | | | |
| | SDLP | James Walsh* | 12.33% | 630 | 630.24 | 685.24 | 1,023.24 | | |
| | UUP | Joan Baird | 15.87% | 811 | 818.62 | 844.68 | 847.68 | 854.68 | |
| | UUP | Ivan Gault | 10.96% | 560 | 564.32 | 600.38 | 600.38 | 602.38 | 853.38 |
| | Independent | Leslie Mathews | 7.12% | 364 | 366.46 | 435.56 | 442.46 | 580.46 | 618.44 |
| | DUP | Gareth Bennett* | 7.67% | 392 | 431.6 | 432.6 | 432.6 | 433.6 | |
| | SDLP | James Smyth | 6.22% | 318 | 318 | 353 | | | |
| | Alliance | Frank McQuaid | 4.58% | 234 | 234.12 | | | | |
| Electorate: 8,320 Valid: 5,110 (61.42%) Spoilt: 81 Quota: 852 Turnout: 5,191 (62.39%) ||||||||||

### Dromore

1985: 3 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP
Dromore - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | DUP | Brian Biggerstaff* | 18.79% | 923 | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Robert Barr | 17.48% | 859 | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Robert Hill* | 13.13% | 645 | 662 | 684.66 | 833.66 | | | |
| | SDLP | Cassie McDermott | 9.44% | 464 | 465 | 466.1 | 473.1 | 474.15 | 474.15 | 904.15 |
| | UUP | William Martin | 11.66% | 573 | 580 | 582.42 | 760.28 | 787.73 | 800.45 | 809.45 |
| | DUP | Robert McIlroy | 8.51% | 418 | 575 | 640.78 | 660.99 | 668.34 | 669.9 | 670.9 |
| | SDLP | Bernard Rice | 9.57% | 470 | 471 | 471 | 471 | 471.2 | 471.2 | |
| | UUP | James McRoberts | 7.21% | 354 | 373 | 380.04 | | | | |
| | DUP | Robert McGregor | 4.21% | 207 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,240 Valid: 4,913 (67.86%) Spoilt: 116 Quota: 819 Turnout: 5,029 (69.46%) |||||||||||

### Knockiveagh

1985: 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Independent Nationalist
Knockiveagh - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | Wilfred McFadden* | 15.78% | 766 | 904 | | | | |
| | UUP | Samuel Cowan* | 14.94% | 725 | 728 | 744.72 | 991.72 | | |
| | UUP | Raymond McCullough* | 15.52% | 753 | 758 | 799.8 | 829.8 | | |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Laurence McCartan* | 14.30% | 694 | 695 | 695.76 | 714.76 | 718.91 | 810.91 |
| | SDLP | Peter McGreevy | 10.51% | 510 | 510 | 510 | 510 | 510 | 809 |
| | UUP | Herbert Heslip* | 10.34% | 510 | 516 | 538.04 | 588.4 | 766.02 | 766.02 |
| | SDLP | Helen Stewart | 8.14% | 395 | 395 | 395 | 395 | 395 | |
| | UUP | William Hamilton | 7.07% | 343 | 345 | 358.68 | | | |
| | DUP | Elizabeth McDowell | 3.24% | 157 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,012 Valid: 4,853 (69.21%) Spoilt: 88 Quota: 809 Turnout: 4,941 (70.46%) ||||||||||