# 1981 Ards Borough Council election

Elections to Ards Borough Council were held on 20 May 1981 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 1981 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| DUP | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 41.2 | 37.1 | 8,120 | 23.3 |
| UUP | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17.6 | 21.7 | 4,759 | 10.1 |
| Alliance | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17.6 | 12.3 | 2,692 | 8.5 |
| UPUP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 2,816 | New |
| NI Labour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 1,424 | 1.5 |
| SDLP | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 | 4.3 | 942 | 1.4 |
| Ind. Unionist | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 311 | 1.7 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 738 | 5.3 |
| Unionist Party NI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 112 | 4.8 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Ards Borough Council election, 1981 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | DUP | DUP | UUP | UUP | Alliance | Alliance | UPUP | UPUP | NILP | NILP | SDLP | SDLP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Area A | 32.0 | 2 | 24.7 | 2 | 9.6 | 1 | 14.3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 11.9 | 1 | 7.5 | 0 | 7 |
| Area B | 40.2 | 3 | 14.1 | 0 | 12.6 | 1 | 16.0 | 1 | 17.1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Area C | 39.5 | 2 | 28.8 | 1 | 15.5 | 1 | 6.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 10.1 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 37.1 | 7 | 21.7 | 3 | 12.3 | 3 | 12.9 | 2 | 6.5 | 1 | 4.3 | 1 | 5.2 | 0 | 17 |

## Districts results
### Area A

1977: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP 1981: 2 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x UPUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance 1977-1981 Change: DUP and UPUP gain from UUP and Alliance
Ards Area A - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | UPUP | Gladys McIntyre | 13.04% | 1,034 | | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Robert Ambrose* | 7.68% | 609 | 610 | 627.04 | 653.64 | 692.04 | 747.52 | 758.64 | 1,021.64 | | |
| | SDLP | Patrick Doherty* | 11.88% | 942 | 942.04 | 942.04 | 943.12 | 943.12 | 943.12 | 961.16 | 965.2 | 1,347.2 | |
| | DUP | Joseph Thompson* | 11.57% | 917 | 918.32 | 923.44 | 950.76 | 954.8 | 960.92 | 960.92 | 974.16 | 976.24 | 981.24 |
| | Alliance | William Sheldon* | 5.39% | 427 | 427.44 | 436.44 | 439.64 | 448.68 | 453.8 | 730.44 | 764.76 | 820.84 | 974.84 |
| | DUP | Oliver Johnston | 11.04% | 875 | 876.68 | 882.84 | 890.68 | 901.92 | 920.16 | 923.2 | 952.72 | 954.72 | 958.72 |
| | UUP | John Scott* | 6.88% | 545 | 548.48 | 576.72 | 592.08 | 633.6 | 758.12 | 790.32 | 878.6 | 882.84 | 886.84 |
| | DUP | Jim Shannon | 9.35% | 741 | 743.04 | 744.08 | 754.52 | 760.56 | 763.68 | 768.72 | 796.92 | 798.08 | 807.08 |
| | Independent | James McMullan | 6.07% | 481 | 481.64 | 484.64 | 486.68 | 486.68 | 488.68 | 492.68 | 495.72 | | |
| | UUP | William Caughey* | 4.28% | 339 | 339.72 | 346.84 | 358.12 | 420.56 | 483.28 | 491.4 | | | |
| | Alliance | Alan Burnside | 4.25% | 337 | 337.36 | 341.36 | 346.16 | 348.2 | 367.36 | | | | |
| | UUP | James Kennett | 3.27% | 259 | 260 | 271.08 | 278.6 | 307.92 | | | | | |
| | UUP | David Hamilton | 2.64% | 209 | 209.8 | 210.96 | 215.36 | | | | | | |
| | UPUP | Frances Millar | 1.26% | 100 | 125.48 | 140.96 | | | | | | | |
| | Unionist Party NI | Michael Long | 1.41% | 112 | 113.52 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 14,228 Valid: 7,927 (55.71%) Spoilt: 235 Quota: 991 Turnout: 8,162 (57.37%) ||||||||||||||

### Area B

1977: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x NILP, 1 x DUP 1981: 3 x DUP, 1 x NILP, 1 x UPUP, 1 x Alliance 1977-1981 Change: DUP (two seats) and UPUP gain from UUP (two seats) and Alliance
Ards Area B - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | DUP | Hugh Boyd* | 20.16% | 1,681 | | | | | | | | | |
| | NI Labour | Robert Gaw* | 15.71% | 1,310 | | | | | | | | | |
| | DUP | John Elliott | 8.03% | 670 | 1,036.27 | 1,044.46 | 1,066.06 | 1,070.82 | 1,084.82 | 1,093.18 | 1,113.92 | 1,141.51 | 1,182.71 |
| | DUP | Simpson Gibson | 12.05% | 1,005 | 1,067.06 | 1,071.02 | 1,083.75 | 1,086.93 | 1,100.93 | 1,105.93 | 1,125.96 | 1,138.81 | 1,167.29 |
| | Alliance | Owen Dorrian* | 9.41% | 784 | 786.61 | 803.89 | 835.65 | 838.65 | 841.19 | 1,059.78 | 1,086.68 | 1,108.78 | 1,154.96 |
| | UPUP | Robert Brown | 6.09% | 508 | 538.16 | 545.72 | 552.61 | 559.17 | 566.46 | 575.73 | 686.73 | 724.76 | 1,136.69 |
| | UUP | Hugh Patton | 4.59% | 383 | 387.35 | 392.57 | 396.65 | 485.84 | 558.85 | 570.57 | 599.14 | 1,004.54 | 1,078.36 |
| | UPUP | James Murray | 5.61% | 468 | 471.77 | 478.61 | 486.76 | 493.85 | 499.12 | 505.84 | 660.55 | 686.21 | |
| | UUP | Robert Hamilton | 5.49% | 458 | 465.54 | 469.68 | 475.02 | 502.29 | 558.03 | 569.21 | 593.6 | | |
| | UPUP | Hugh Yeaman | 4.32% | 360 | 362.9 | 368.03 | 374.92 | 379.3 | 388.93 | 397.58 | | | |
| | Alliance | James Murphy | 3.24% | 270 | 270.29 | 273.53 | 286.5 | 289.59 | 294.86 | | | | |
| | UUP | Edward McLoughlin | 1.99% | 166 | 166.87 | 169.03 | 174.66 | 192.2 | | | | | |
| | UUP | William Speers | 1.94% | 162 | 163.45 | 165.7 | 168.51 | | | | | | |
| | NI Labour | John Gray | 1.37% | 114 | 115.16 | 164.12 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 16,070 Valid: 8,339 (51.89%) Spoilt: 310 Quota: 1,192 Turnout: 8,649 (53.82%) ||||||||||||||

### Area C

1977: 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist 1981: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance 1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from Independent Unionist
Ards Area C - 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | DUP | Thomas Gourley* | 26.19% | 1,479 | | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Hamilton McKeag* | 19.16% | 1,082 | 1,099.02 | 1,111.71 | 1,201.71 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | John Hamilton | 13.31% | 752 | 1,041.8 | 1,057.72 | 1,082.41 | 1,087.33 | 1,112.61 | 1,187.61 | | | |
| | Alliance | Jim McBriar* | 9.31% | 526 | 528.76 | 535.22 | 541.22 | 547.78 | 559.01 | 598.88 | 902.72 | 908.72 | 1,113.72 |
| | UUP | Gordon Brown | 5.91% | 334 | 339.52 | 356.75 | 416.05 | 466.89 | 481.12 | 551.78 | 571.78 | 595.78 | 753.78 |
| | Ind. Unionist | John Shields* | 5.51% | 311 | 314.68 | 317.68 | 325.14 | 327.6 | 499.62 | 540.9 | 570.59 | 584.59 | |
| | Alliance | Kathleen Coulter | 6.16% | 348 | 350.53 | 353.53 | 362.53 | 362.53 | 377.53 | 388.99 | | | |
| | UPUP | Robert McKee | 3.93% | 222 | 226.14 | 294.6 | 303.52 | 307.62 | 317.62 | | | | |
| | Independent | James Middleton | 4.20% | 237 | 240.22 | 247.22 | 255.45 | 257.91 | | | | | |
| | UUP | James Caughey | 3.77% | 213 | 217.83 | 224.83 | | | | | | | |
| | UPUP | Shirley McWhinney | 2.20% | 124 | 126.07 | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Thomas Adair | 0.35% | 20 | 20.69 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,936 Valid: 5,648 (56.84%) Spoilt: 168 Quota: 1,130 Turnout: 5,816 (58.53%) ||||||||||||||