# 1997 Castlereagh Borough Council election

Elections to Castlereagh 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 23 councillors.

## Election results

Castlereagh Borough Council Election Result 1997 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| DUP | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 43.5 | 44.2 | 9,214 | 0.1 |
| UUP | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21.7 | 19.6 | 4,088 | 2.3 |
| Alliance | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17.4 | 18.7 | 3,898 | 3.2 |
| SDLP | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8.7 | 8.2 | 1,707 | 8.2 |
| Ind. Unionist | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 874 | 0.4 |
| UK Unionist | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 267 | New |
| PUP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 367 | 1.9 |
| Ulster Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 303 | New |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 115 | 0.6 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Castlereagh Borough Council election, 1997 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | DUP | DUP | UUP | UUP | Alliance | Alliance | SDLP | SDLP | UKUP | UKUP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Castlereagh Central | 58.7 | 3 | 17.0 | 1 | 14.6 | 1 | 4.4 | 0 | 5.3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Castlereagh East | 53.0 | 4 | 11.1 | 1 | 18.9 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 17.0 | 1 | 7 |
| Castlereagh South | 27.4 | 1 | 31.2 | 2 | 23.9 | 1 | 17.5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Castlereagh West | 35.4 | 2 | 21.2 | 1 | 17.4 | 1 | 12.9 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 13.1 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 44.2 | 10 | 19.6 | 5 | 18.7 | 4 | 8.2 | 2 | 1.3 | 1 | 8.0 | 1 | 23 |

## Districts results
### Castlereagh Central

1993: 4 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent Unionist 1997: 4 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x UKUP 1993-1997 Change: Independent Unionist joins UKUP
Castlereagh Central - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | Peter Robinson* | 55.30% | 2,783 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Alan Carson* | 16.97% | 854 | | | | | |
| | DUP | John Norris* | 1.21% | 61 | 950.2 | | | | |
| | Alliance | Patrick Mitchell* | 11.92% | 600 | 623.56 | 626.96 | 644.3 | 966.3 | |
| | DUP | John Dunn | 1.73% | 87 | 593.92 | 662.12 | 684.05 | 689.12 | 698.12 |
| | UK Unionist | Grant Dillon* | 5.30% | 267 | 516.28 | 528.28 | 591.69 | 609.59 | 684.59 |
| | DUP | Alwyn McClernon | 0.46% | 23 | 372.6 | 512.4 | 527.53 | 541.35 | 548.35 |
| | SDLP | Dominic Marsella | 4.45% | 224 | 225.52 | 225.52 | 225.69 | | |
| | Alliance | Ann Smith | 2.66% | 134 | 161.36 | 162.76 | 171.94 | | |
| Electorate: 11,033 Valid: 5,033 (45.62%) Spoilt: 148 Quota: 720 Turnout: 5,181 (46.96%) ||||||||||

### Castlereagh East

1993: 3 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x UPUP, 1 x Independent Unionist 1997: 4 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent Unionist 1993-1997 Change: UPUP joins DUP
Castlereagh East - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | DUP | Iris Robinson* | 46.08% | 2,787 | | | | | |
| | DUP | Tommy Jeffers* | 2.84% | 172 | 799.52 | | | | |
| | UUP | Sarah Cummings | 11.11% | 672 | 768.2 | | | | |
| | Ind. Unionist | William Abraham* | 10.04% | 607 | 721.7 | 757.4 | | | |
| | DUP | Sandy Geddis* | 2.65% | 160 | 643.96 | 663.92 | 733.56 | 810.56 | |
| | Alliance | Peter Osborne* | 11.19% | 677 | 709.56 | 721.3 | 728.48 | 757.18 | |
| | DUP | Kim Morton | 1.21% | 73 | 400.82 | 411.56 | 555.72 | 624.32 | 663.32 |
| | Alliance | Michael Long | 7.71% | 466 | 486.72 | 504.2 | 505.68 | 539.12 | 545.12 |
| | Ulster Democratic | Stephen McNally | 5.01% | 303 | 365.16 | 387.12 | 401.44 | | |
| | DUP | Sarah Seddon | 0.26% | 16 | 246.14 | 248.88 | | | |
| | Independent | David Brown | 1.90% | 115 | 130.54 | | | | |
| Electorate: 15,542 Valid: 6,048 (38.91%) Spoilt: 130 Quota: 757 Turnout: 6,178 (39.75%) ||||||||||

### Castlereagh South

1993: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 1 x DUP 1997: 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP 1993-1997 Change: SDLP gain from Alliance
Castlereagh South - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | UUP | John Beattie* | 24.66% | 1,219 | | | | | |
| | DUP | Myreve Chambers* | 23.18% | 1,146 | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Arthur Hegney | 17.48% | 864 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Michael Henderson | 6.57% | 325 | 681.4 | 705.2 | 862.2 | | |
| | Alliance | Geraldine Rice* | 12.70% | 628 | 634.27 | 639.31 | 675.55 | 697.4 | 714.45 |
| | Alliance | Margaret Marshall* | 11.25% | 556 | 564.91 | 569.67 | 647.48 | 664.53 | 685.43 |
| | DUP | Andrew Ramsey | 4.95% | 205 | 224.8 | 505.36 | | | |
| Electorate: 11,873 Valid: 4,943 (41.63%) Spoilt: 67 Quota: 824 Turnout: 5,010 (42.20%) ||||||||||

### Castlereagh West

1993: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance 1997: 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x SDLP 1993-1997 Change: SDLP gain from UUP
Castlereagh West - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | DUP | William Clulow* | 19.80% | 952 | | | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Sara Duncan | 14.49% | 697 | 700.45 | 816.45 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Mark Robinson | 12.62% | 607 | 698.5 | 701.5 | 815.5 | | | | | |
| | UUP | Cecil Hall | 15.47% | 744 | 759.15 | 763.3 | 777.85 | 781.3 | 788.5 | 1,024.5 | | |
| | SDLP | Rosaleen Hughes* | 12.87% | 619 | 619.3 | 625.3 | 626.45 | 631.85 | 631.85 | 631.85 | 637.85 | 659.6 |
| | PUP | Samuel Johnston | 7.63% | 367 | 371.8 | 373.8 | 378.15 | 380.4 | 382 | 404.9 | 448.9 | 651.25 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Ernest Harper* | 5.55% | 267 | 279.6 | 281.75 | 289.15 | 291.55 | 294.15 | 313.5 | 418.5 | |
| | UUP | Marie Luney | 5.70% | 274 | 276.25 | 277.25 | 284.3 | 285.2 | 287.2 | | | |
| | DUP | Thomas Scott | 2.95% | 142 | 153.4 | 153.4 | | | | | | |
| | Alliance | Malcolm Gilmore | 2.91% | 140 | 140.3 | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 11,140 Valid: 4,809 (43.17%) Spoilt: 87 Quota: 802 Turnout: 4,896 (43.95%) |||||||||||||