# 1997 North Down Borough Council election

Elections to North Down Borough Council were held on 21 May 1997 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used four district electoral areas to elect a total of 25 councillors.

## Election results

North Down Borough Council Election Result 1997 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| UUP | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 22.4 | 4,216 | 3.7 |
| Alliance | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24.0 | 22.1 | 4,152 | 0.6 |
| UK Unionist | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12.0 | 9.3 | 1,798 | New |
| Ind. Unionist | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8.0 | 12.5 | 2,349 | 0.1 |
| Independent | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | 12.1 | 2,284 | 0.9 |
| DUP | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 1,762 | 6.8 |
| NI Conservatives | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 1,372 | 3.8 |
| PUP | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8.0 | 4.2 | 783 | 4.2 |
| Ulster Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 131 | New |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the North Down Borough Council election, 1997 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | UUP | UUP | Alliance | Alliance | UKUP | UKUP | DUP | DUP | Conservative | Conservative | PUP | PUP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Abbey | 20.6 | 1 | 16.5 | 1 | 16.5 | 1 | 12.0 | 1 | 15.2 | 1 | 8.7 | 1 | 10.5 | 0 | 6 |
| Ballyholme and Groomsport | 21.2 | 2 | 20.8 | 1 | 7.8 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | 8.8 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 34.9 | 2 | 7 |
| Bangor West | 25.1 | 2 | 21.0 | 2 | 9.5 | 1 | 9.3 | 0 | 2.1 | 0 | 8.2 | 1 | 24.8 | 1 | 7 |
| Holywood | 22.3 | 1 | 31.0 | 2 | 4.1 | 0 | 10.8 | 1 | 4.3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 27.5 | 1 | 5 |
| Total | 22.4 | 6 | 22.1 | 6 | 9.3 | 3 | 9.4 | 2 | 7.3 | 2 | 4.2 | 2 | 25.3 | 4 | 25 |

## Districts results
### Abbey

1993: 2 x UPUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Conservative 1997: 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UKUP, 1 x Conservative, 1 x DUP, 1 x PUP 1993-1997 Change: UKUP and PUP gain from UPUP (two seats)
Abbey - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Alliance | Stephen Farry* | 16.53% | 650 | | | | | | |
| | UK Unionist | Valerie Kinghan* | 16.53% | 650 | | | | | | |
| | NI Conservatives | Ann Thompson* | 15.18% | 597 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Ivy Cooling* | 11.98% | 471 | 474.06 | 498.42 | 503.7 | 528.44 | 610.44 | |
| | UUP | Roberta Dunlop | 12.26% | 482 | 495.86 | 516.58 | 525.1 | 532.24 | 587.24 | |
| | PUP | Stewart Currie | 8.75% | 344 | 352.46 | 357.92 | 359.9 | 417.26 | 483.96 | 505.96 |
| | UUP | Karl McLean | 8.34% | 328 | 339.34 | 354.74 | 363.44 | 386.52 | 446.3 | 465.3 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Cecil Braniff* | 4.20% | 165 | 176.7 | 186.78 | 190.08 | 198.42 | | |
| | Independent | William Gordon | 2.92% | 115 | 147.58 | 151.36 | 152.8 | 155.66 | | |
| | Ulster Democratic | Richard McCullough | 3.33% | 131 | 134.06 | 137.84 | 138.92 | | | |
| Electorate: 13,415 Valid: 3,933 (29.32%) Spoilt: 93 Quota: 562 Turnout: 4,026 (30.01%) |||||||||||

### Ballyholme and Groomsport

1993: 2 x UUP, 2 x Independent Unionist, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Conservative 1997: 2 x UUP, 2 x Independent Unionist, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Conservative, 1 x UKUP 1993-1997 Change: UKUP gain from DUP
Ballyholme and Groomsport - 7 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 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Alan Chambers* | 21.59% | 1,218 | | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Marsden Fitzsimons* | 13.65% | 770 | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Leslie Cree* | 13.38% | 755 | | | | | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | Austen Lennon* | 13.10% | 739 | | | | | | | |
| | UK Unionist | Elizabeth Roche | 7.80% | 440 | 516.93 | 517.89 | 519.39 | 523.74 | 534.44 | 556.02 | 714.7 |
| | UUP | Ian Henry* | 3.16% | 178 | 232.39 | 234.15 | 240.69 | 242.89 | 338.96 | 515.62 | 709.27 |
| | NI Conservatives | Bruce Mulligan* | 8.83% | 498 | 568.56 | 572.96 | 575.96 | 580.11 | 601.74 | 618.19 | 652.24 |
| | Alliance | Gavin Walker | 7.20% | 406 | 479.99 | 529.75 | 530.83 | 532.13 | 546.44 | 557.33 | 564.49 |
| | DUP | Marie Cree | 6.65% | 375 | 464.67 | 465.23 | 470.15 | 472.3 | 485.14 | 502.06 | |
| | UUP | Ronald Dorrian | 1.88% | 106 | 193.71 | 194.99 | 218.39 | 220.89 | 272.64 | | |
| | UUP | James Kingan | 2.77% | 156 | 209.9 | 211.02 | 214.5 | 217.45 | | | |
| Electorate: 16,947 Valid: 5,641 (33.29%) Spoilt: 99 Quota: 706 Turnout: 5,740 (33.87%) ||||||||||||

### Bangor West

1993: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x Conservative, 1 x Independent Unionist 1997: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x UKUP, 1 x PUP, 1 x Independent 1993-1997 Change: UKUP, PUP and Independent gain from DUP, Conservative and Independent Unionist
Bangor West - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| | Independent | Brian Wilson* | 20.32% | 1,090 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Roy Bradford* | 13.03% | 699 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Eileen Bell* | 12.34% | 662 | 700.61 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Anne Wilson | 7.21% | 387 | 661.56 | 668.73 | 679.23 | | | | | | | | |
| | UUP | Marion Smith | 8.56% | 459 | 480.45 | 481.45 | 481.45 | 485.97 | 490.95 | 510.32 | 517.18 | 657.86 | 788.86 | | |
| | UK Unionist | William Keery | 9.49% | 509 | 528.11 | 528.11 | 529.01 | 530.89 | 536.61 | 550.73 | 564.2 | 585.85 | 640.36 | 662.36 | 663.86 |
| | PUP | Ernest Steele | 8.18% | 439 | 444.46 | 444.46 | 444.76 | 445.4 | 451.08 | 458.42 | 468.42 | 480.74 | 502.9 | 527.9 | 530.3 |
| | DUP | Robert Gordon | 5.74% | 308 | 310.73 | 311.73 | 311.73 | 312.89 | 312.89 | 317.28 | 466.96 | 490.35 | 508.76 | 523.76 | 523.76 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Ian Sinclair* | 4.23% | 227 | 246.11 | 246.5 | 247.1 | 247.62 | 268.22 | 300.12 | 304.2 | 324.05 | | | |
| | UUP | Royston Davies | 3.54% | 190 | 201.7 | 202.7 | 203 | 220.32 | 229.5 | 246.48 | 249.48 | | | | |
| | DUP | Alan Graham | 3.56% | 191 | 195.68 | 196.07 | 196.07 | 196.47 | 196.77 | 197.77 | | | | | |
| | NI Conservatives | Julian Robertson | 2.09% | 112 | 116.68 | 118.07 | 118.37 | 119.05 | 125.03 | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Derek Bell | 1.42% | 76 | 85.75 | 87.75 | 103.65 | 103.93 | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Robert Mooney | 0.28% | 15 | 18.12 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 15,442 Valid: 5,364 (34.74%) Spoilt: 116 Quota: 671 Turnout: 5,480 (35.49%) ||||||||||||||||

### Holywood

1993: 2 x Independent, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Conservative 1997: 2 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x DUP, 1 x Independent 1993-1997 Change: Alliance and DUP gain from Conservative and Independent
Holywood - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | UUP | Ellie McKay* | 22.31% | 863 | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Susan O'Brien* | 19.82% | 767 | | | | | |
| | Independent | Dennis Ogborn* | 14.09% | 545 | 594.66 | 608.26 | 630.3 | 677.5 | |
| | DUP | Gordon Dunne | 10.78% | 417 | 474.72 | 477.12 | 570.44 | 644.08 | 694.08 |
| | Alliance | Richard Good | 11.22% | 434 | 449.08 | 544.92 | 560.42 | 607.8 | 643.48 |
| | Independent | James White* | 7.21% | 279 | 297.2 | 300.4 | 309.18 | 317.72 | 442.62 |
| | Independent | Bobby Irvine | 6.20% | 240 | 248.58 | 251.3 | 259.3 | 274.38 | |
| | NI Conservatives | Jennifer Cumming | 4.26% | 165 | 199.58 | 201.5 | 233.88 | | |
| | UK Unionist | Jeffrey Dudgeon | 4.11% | 159 | 187.6 | 188.24 | | | |
| Electorate: 10,434 Valid: 3,869 (37.08%) Spoilt: 52 Quota: 645 Turnout: 3,921 (37.58%) ||||||||||