District Council
The district is divided into three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore, which between them currently return 17 members. Elections of the whole council are usually held every four years and are conducted under the proportional representation single transferable vote system. Notably, Banbridge District Council was the only council controlled by one party (the UUP) from its creation in 1973 until the year 2000 when the DUP gained a seat in a by-election in Dromore. Following the May 2011 local-government elections, the UUP retook its position from the DUP as the largest party on the council, winning seven of the 17 seats available. This was one of the few gains made by the UUP in either the local or Assembly elections of that year. Six of the 17 councillors elected in 2011 are women. At 56 percent, turnout in the 2011 elections was the lowest it had been since Banbridge Council was formed in 1973.
In the civic year 2011-2012 UUP councillors Joan Baird and Carol Black are serving as the head and deputy head of the council. This is the first time in the history of Banbridge Council that the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman have been held by women.
Read more about this topic: Banbridge (district)
Famous quotes containing the words district and/or council:
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