# Ards East (District Electoral Area)

Ards East was one of the four district electoral areas in Ards, Northern Ireland which existed from 1993 to 2014. The district elected six members to Ards Borough Council and formed part of the North Down constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament, and part of the Strangford constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.
It was created for the 1993 local elections, and contained the wards of Donaghadee North, Donaghadee South, Gregstown, Loughries, Millisle and Movilla. It was abolished for the 2014 local elections and replaced by the Bangor East and Donaghadee DEA and Newtownards DEA.

## Councillors

| Election | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) | Councillor (Party) |
| 2011 | Linda Cleland (Alliance) | Ronald Ferguson (UUP) | Tom Smith (DUP) | Eddie Thompson (DUP) | John Elliott (DUP) | Hamilton Gregory (DUP) |
| 2005 | Jeffrey Magill (UUP)/ (DUP) | Ronald Ferguson (UUP) | Jonathan Bell (DUP) | Terence Williams (DUP) | John Elliott (DUP) | Hamilton Gregory (DUP) |
| 2001 | Jeffrey Magill (UUP)/ (DUP) | Ronald Ferguson (UUP) | Linda Cleland (Alliance) | Terence Williams (DUP) | John Shields (UUP) | Hamilton Gregory (DUP) |
| 1997 | Jeffrey Magill (UUP)/ (DUP) | Ronald Ferguson (UUP) | Linda Cleland (Alliance) | Thomas Benson (UUP) | John Shields (UUP) | Hamilton Gregory (DUP) |
| 1993 | Jeffrey Magill (UUP)/ (DUP) | Ronald Ferguson (UUP) | Laurence Thompson (Alliance) | Thomas Benson (UUP) | John Shields (UUP) | St Clair McAlister (DUP) |

## 2011 Election

2005: 4 x DUP, 2 x UUP
2011: 4 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2005-2011 Change: Alliance gain from UUP
Ards East - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | DUP | Colville Elliott* | 20.05% | 1,353 | | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Linda Cleland | 16.21% | 1,094 | | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Hamilton Gregory* | 14.11% | 952 | 1,168.92 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Tom Smith | 14.26% | 962 | 1,082.93 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Eddie Thompson | 9.19% | 620 | 633.92 | 818.94 | 831.12 | 946.25 | 953.67 | 978.67 | |
| | UUP | Ronald Ferguson* | 9.23% | 623 | 632.57 | 636.34 | 649.64 | 649.93 | 654.91 | 675.39 | 765.23 |
| | UUP | Katherine Ferguson | 7.78% | 525 | 540.95 | 543.85 | 572.69 | 572.98 | 580.36 | 620.45 | 694.57 |
| | TUV | Terence Williams* | 4.51% | 304 | 306.61 | 310.38 | 318.22 | 318.8 | 321.08 | 347 | |
| | Green (NI) | Emer Hopkins | 2.83% | 191 | 193.03 | 193.9 | 236.18 | 236.18 | 311.26 | | |
| | SDLP | Moira Ritchie | 1.82% | 123 | 123.87 | 125.61 | 147.45 | 147.74 | | | |
| Electorate: 16,004 Valid: 6,747 (42.16%) Spoilt: 165 Quota: 965 Turnout: 6,912 (43.19%) ||||||||||||

## 2005 Election

2001: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
2005: 4 x DUP, 2 x UUP
2001-2005 Change: DUP gain (two seats) from UUP and Alliance
Ards East - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | Jonathan Bell | 19.92% | 1,515 | | | | | |
| | DUP | Terence Williams* | 13.07% | 994 | 1,097.6 | | | | |
| | DUP | John Elliott* | 10.70% | 814 | 1,060.68 | 1,081.52 | 1,099.52 | | |
| | UUP | Ronald Ferguson* | 13.05% | 993 | 1,006.72 | 1,056.56 | 1,247.56 | | |
| | DUP | Hamilton Gregory* | 12.40% | 943 | 977.16 | 1,000.44 | 1,038.52 | 1,054.36 | 1,063.96 |
| | UUP | Jeffrey Magill* | 8.20% | 624 | 628.2 | 650.2 | 942.88 | 1,062.67 | 1,063.63 |
| | Alliance | Linda Cleland* | 11.17% | 850 | 858.68 | 959.96 | 1,012.08 | 1,036.83 | 1,038.75 |
| | UUP | Tom Smith | 7.36% | 560 | 566.72 | 633.28 | | | |
| | Green (NI) | John McCullough | 2.39% | 182 | 183.4 | | | | |
| | Independent | Thomas Sheridan | 1.74% | 132 | 134.8 | | | | |
| Electorate: 15,367 Valid: 7,607 (49.50%) Spoilt: 181 Quota: 1,087 Turnout: 7,788 (50.68%) ||||||||||

## 2001 Election

1997: 4 x UUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
2001: 3 x DUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1997-2001 Change: DUP gain from UUP
Ards East - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 |
| | Alliance | Linda Cleland* | N/A | N/A |
| | UUP | Ronald Ferguson* | N/A | N/A |
| | DUP | Hamilton Gregory* | N/A | N/A |
| | UUP | Jeffrey Magill* | N/A | N/A |
| | UUP | John Shields* | N/A | N/A |
| | DUP | Terence Williams | N/A | N/A |
| Electorate: N/A Valid: N/A Spoilt: N/A Quota: N/A Turnout: N/A |||||
* As only six candidates had been nominated for six seats, there was no vote in Ards East and all six candidates were deemed elected.

## 1997 Election

1993: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1997: 4 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1993-1997 Change: UUP gain from DUP
Ards East - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | UUP | Thomas Benson* | 17.40% | 882 | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Ronald Ferguson* | 13.33% | 676 | 762.4 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Hamilton Gregory | 12.25% | 621 | 628.2 | 629.53 | 656.71 | 811.71 | | | |
| | UUP | John Shields* | 11.95% | 606 | 618.24 | 622.44 | 656.62 | 668.05 | 668.64 | 752.64 | |
| | Alliance | Linda Cleland | 8.24% | 418 | 422.32 | 422.53 | 437.71 | 441.71 | 442.89 | 462.07 | 792.07 |
| | UUP | Jeffrey Magill* | 9.47% | 480 | 508.98 | 533.69 | 582.23 | 616.56 | 621.87 | 680.76 | 694.05 |
| | DUP | St Clair McAlister* | 5.82% | 295 | 299.32 | 299.95 | 309.95 | 369.2 | 447.67 | 509.28 | 518.64 |
| | Alliance | Laurence Thompson* | 6.94% | 352 | 355.06 | 355.48 | 363.48 | 363.48 | 363.48 | 378.66 | |
| | UK Unionist | Thomas Sheridan | 5.31% | 269 | 271.16 | 271.93 | 283.93 | 287.93 | 287.93 | | |
| | DUP | Hamilton Lawther | 4.95% | 251 | 254.96 | 255.87 | 274.87 | | | | |
| | PUP | Georgina McCrory | 4.34% | 220 | 221.26 | 221.33 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 14,904 Valid: 5,070 (34.02%) Spoilt: 114 Quota: 725 Turnout: 5,184 (34.78%) ||||||||||||

## 1993 Election

1993: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
Ards East - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | UUP | Thomas Benson* | 19.85% | 956 | | |
| | DUP | Jeffrey Magill | 17.99% | 866 | | |
| | UUP | John Shields* | 15.39% | 741 | | |
| | Alliance | Laurence Thompson | 14.97% | 721 | | |
| | UUP | Ronald Ferguson | 10.49% | 505 | 730.3 | |
| | DUP | St Clair McAlister | 13.73% | 661 | 686.2 | 851.8 |
| | NI Conservatives | Gavin Walker | 7.58% | 365 | 382.1 | 389.46 |
| Electorate: 13,490 Valid: 4,815 (35.69%) Spoilt: 120 Quota: 688 Turnout: 4,935 (36.58%) |||||||