# 1997 Derry City Council election

Elections to Derry City Council were held on 21 May 1997 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used five district electoral areas to elect a total of 30 councillors.

## Election results

Derry City Council Election Result 1997 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| SDLP | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 46.7 | 43.7 | 18,012 | 3.2 |
| Sinn Féin | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 26.7 | 27.7 | 11,394 | 7.5 |
| DUP | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13.3 | 12.6 | 5,186 | 0.7 |
| UUP | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 | 8.7 | 3,595 | 0.5 |
| Ind. Unionist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1,203 | 0.1 |
| NI Women's Coalition | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 1,036 | New |
| Labour Coalition | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 434 | New |
| Ulster Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 176 | 0.5 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 48 | 1.9 |
| Ind. Nationalist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 22 | 0.1 |
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

## Districts summary

Results of the Derry City Council election, 1997 by district :
| Ward | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | % | Cllrs | Total Cllrs |
| Ward | SDLP | SDLP | Sinn Féin | Sinn Féin | DUP | DUP | UUP | UUP | Others | Others | | Total Cllrs |
| Cityside | 40.6 | 2 | 55.5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3.9 | 0 | 5 |
| Northland | 57.2 | 5 | 33.4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 9.4 | 0 | 7 |
| Rural | 44.5 | 3 | 9.0 | 0 | 23.6 | 1 | 20.0 | 1 | 2.9 | 0 | 6 |
| Shantallow | 56.4 | 3 | 36.7 | 2 | 1.7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5.2 | 0 | 5 |
| Waterside | 19.8 | 1 | 9.9 | 1 | 35.0 | 3 | 22.2 | 1 | 13.1 | 1 | 7 |
| Total | 43.7 | 14 | 27.7 | 8 | 12.6 | 4 | 8.7 | 3 | 7.3 | 1 | 30 |

## District results
### Cityside

1993: 3 x SDLP, 2 x Sinn Féin 1997: 3 x Sinn Féin, 2 x SDLP 1993-1997 Change: Sinn Féin gain from SDLP
Cityside - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Sinn Féin | Cathal Crumley | 20.61% | 1,333 | | | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Mitchel McLaughlin* | 20.21% | 1,307 | | | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Peter Anderson | 14.72% | 952 | 979 | 1,213.27 | | | |
| | SDLP | Jim Clifford* | 14.98% | 969 | 1,042 | 1,047.7 | 1,115.64 | | |
| | SDLP | Pat Ramsey* | 12.71% | 822 | 883 | 884.33 | 972.81 | 976.8 | 989.55 |
| | SDLP | Patrick Devine* | 12.82% | 829 | 881 | 884.42 | 955.52 | 961.41 | 986.16 |
| | NI Women's Coalition | Margaret Logue | 3.94% | 255 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,432 Valid: 6,467 (68.56%) Spoilt: 194 Quota: 1,078 Turnout: 6,661 (70.62%) ||||||||||

### Northland

1993: 5 x SDLP, 2 x Sinn Féin 1997: 5 x SDLP, 2 x Sinn Féin 1993-1997 Change: No change
Northland - 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SDLP | Mark Durkan* | 17.17% | 1,679 | | | | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Mary Nelis* | 16.00% | 1,564 | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Martin Bradley* | 11.41% | 1,115 | 1,272.14 | | | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Marion Hutcheon | 11.54% | 1,128 | 1,134.75 | 1,318.67 | | | | |
| | SDLP | John Tierney* | 11.21% | 1,096 | 1,147.03 | 1,161.99 | 1,163.42 | 1,172.06 | 1,246.06 | |
| | SDLP | John Kerr* | 8.69% | 850 | 1,012 | 1,018.82 | 1,019.59 | 1,045.75 | 1,132.75 | 1,252.1 |
| | SDLP | Kathleen McCloskey* | 8.74% | 854 | 896.39 | 901.67 | 902.44 | 910.04 | 968.04 | 1,040.04 |
| | Sinn Féin | Pius McNaught | 5.85% | 572 | 577.94 | 691.24 | 779.35 | 780.23 | 822.23 | 827.23 |
| | Ind. Unionist | Alexander Simpson | 5.44% | 532 | 533.89 | 533.89 | 533.89 | 533.89 | 567.89 | |
| | NI Women's Coalition | Patricia McAdams | 2.97% | 290 | 303.23 | 308.51 | 309.06 | 310.5 | | |
| | Labour Coalition | Anthony Martin | 0.51% | 50 | 52.97 | 54.51 | 54.62 | 54.94 | | |
| | Labour Coalition | Geraldine O'Neill | 0.47% | 46 | 48.7 | 50.24 | 50.46 | 50.7 | | |
| Electorate: 16,075 Valid: 9,776 (60.81%) Spoilt: 207 Quota: 1,223 Turnout: 9,983 (62.10%) |||||||||||

### Rural

1993: 3 x SDLP, 2 x DUP, 1 x UUP 1997: 3 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x DUP 1993-1997 Change: UUP gain from DUP
Rural - 6 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SDLP | Annie Courtney* | 15.59% | 1,220 | | | | | | |
| | DUP | William Hay* | 14.12% | 1,105 | 1,121 | | | | | |
| | SDLP | John McNickle* | 12.47% | 976 | 991 | 1,421 | | | | |
| | SDLP | George Peoples* | 9.44% | 739 | 760 | 871 | 1,168.84 | | | |
| | UUP | Andrew Davidson | 10.64% | 833 | 887 | 890 | 890 | 901.31 | 905.87 | 1,212.87 |
| | UUP | Ernest Hamilton | 9.33% | 730 | 751 | 751 | 751 | 754.19 | 757.23 | 1,048.15 |
| | Sinn Féin | Paul Fleming | 9.03% | 707 | 719 | 748 | 749.46 | 833.56 | 874.6 | 874.6 |
| | DUP | Maurice Devenney | 9.47% | 741 | 749 | 749 | 749 | 750.74 | 751.5 | |
| | SDLP | Jim McKeever | 7.01% | 549 | 600 | | | | | |
| | NI Women's Coalition | Catherine Cooke | 2.30% | 180 | | | | | | |
| | Independent | David Hawthorne | 0.61% | 48 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 13,468 Valid: 7,828 (58.12%) Spoilt: 164 Quota: 1,119 Turnout: 7,992 (59.34%) |||||||||||

### Shantallow

1993: 4 x SDLP, 1 x Sinn Féin 1997: 3 x SDLP, 2 x Sinn Féin 1993-1997 Change: Sinn Féin gain from SDLP
Shantallow - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | SDLP | Mary Bradley* | 22.87% | 1,826 | | | | | | |
| | Sinn Féin | Tony Hassan | 16.16% | 1,290 | 1,304.84 | 1,306.84 | 1,307.84 | 1,325.68 | 1,658.68 | |
| | Sinn Féin | Gearóid Ó hEára* | 14.21% | 1,134 | 1,154.44 | 1,157.44 | 1,157.44 | 1,199.66 | 1,333.56 | |
| | SDLP | Shaun Gallagher* | 10.92% | 872 | 1,190.92 | 1,202.2 | 1,221.88 | 1,298.64 | 1,311.2 | 1,325.2 |
| | SDLP | William O'Connell* | 12.86% | 1,027 | 1,088.32 | 1,091.32 | 1,104.32 | 1,171.56 | 1,181.96 | 1,187.96 |
| | SDLP | Margaret McCartney* | 9.76% | 779 | 833.6 | 841.88 | 869.16 | 989.96 | 1,000.8 | 1,011.8 |
| | Sinn Féin | Bernadette McDaid | 6.31% | 504 | 508.2 | 509.32 | 509.32 | 522.88 | | |
| | Labour Coalition | Charles McDaid | 2.44% | 195 | 197.8 | 222.8 | 232.8 | | | |
| | NI Women's Coalition | Diane Greer | 2.07% | 165 | 177.04 | 179.32 | 204.32 | | | |
| | DUP | William Dougherty | 1.68% | 134 | 136.24 | 137.24 | | | | |
| | Labour Coalition | Robert Lindsay | 0.51% | 41 | 43.24 | | | | | |
| | Labour Coalition | Patrick Muldowney | 0.20% | 16 | 16.56 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 13,598 Valid: 7,983 (58.71%) Spoilt: 188 Quota: 1,331 Turnout: 8,171 (60.09%) |||||||||||

### Waterside

1993: 3 x DUP, 2 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Independent Unionist 1997: 3 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x Independent Unionist 1993-1997 Change: Sinn Féin gain from SDLP
Waterside - 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 |
| | UUP | Richard Dallas* | 16.77% | 1,535 | | | | | | | |
| | DUP | Gregory Campbell* | 16.36% | 1,497 | | | | | | | |
| | SDLP | Philip Kelly | 11.48% | 1,051 | 1,051.25 | 1,051.73 | 1,124.73 | 1,127.73 | 1,128.21 | 1,815.21 | |
| | Sinn Féin | Lynn Fleming | 9.87% | 903 | 903.25 | 904.21 | 925.21 | 925.21 | 926.45 | 967.45 | 1,120.45 |
| | DUP | Joe Miller* | 8.18% | 749 | 789.75 | 851.91 | 862.13 | 946.17 | 1,098.86 | 1,100.86 | 1,106.86 |
| | Ind. Unionist | James Guy* | 7.33% | 671 | 717.25 | 762.37 | 815.35 | 850.26 | 877.66 | 905.66 | 1,082.66 |
| | DUP | Mildred Garfield | 5.65% | 517 | 544.5 | 680.1 | 691.54 | 736.97 | 1,056.75 | 1,060.75 | 1,061.75 |
| | UUP | Mary Hamilton | 5.43% | 497 | 722 | 757.04 | 770.03 | 821.72 | 850.56 | 850.56 | 850.56 |
| | SDLP | Wilfred White* | 8.29% | 759 | 759 | 759 | 795 | 798 | 799 | | |
| | DUP | Bill Irwin* | 4.84% | 443 | 464.5 | 517.06 | 519.06 | 560.99 | | | |
| | Ulster Democratic | David Nicholl | 3.02% | 276 | 290 | 304.88 | 318.87 | | | | |
| | NI Women's Coalition | Helena Schlindwein | 1.60% | 146 | 146.5 | 147.22 | | | | | |
| | Labour Coalition | Kenneth Adams | 0.94% | 86 | 89.75 | 93.11 | | | | | |
| | Ind. Nationalist | Gerald Toland* | 0.24% | 22 | 22 | 22 | | | | | |
| Electorate: 15,408 Valid: 9,152 (59.40%) Spoilt: 186 Quota: 1,145 Turnout: 9,338 (60.60%) ||||||||||||