1981 Down District Council election
Elections to Down District 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 20 councillors. Districts summary. !|Ward !Cllrs !Cllrs !Cllrs !Cllrs !Cllrs !Cllrs !|TotalCllrs ! | SDLP ! | UUP ! | DUP ! | Alliance ! | Workers Party !| Others Districts results. Area A. 1977: 4 x UUP, 2 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance 1981: 3 x UUP, 2 x SDLP, 2 x DUP 1977-1981 Change: DUP (two seats) gain from UUP and Alliance  Area B. 1977: 4 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance 1981: 3 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Republican Clubs, 1 x Independent Labour 1977-1981 Change: Republican Clubs and Independent Labour gain from SDLP and Alliance Area C. 1977: 4 x SDLP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance 1981: 4 x SDLP, 1 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x DUP 1977-1981 Change: DUP gain from UUP