Lower Falls (District Electoral Area) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lower FallsDistrict Electoral Area |
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 Map showing Lower Falls wards within Belfast |
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| Population | (2008 Estimate) |
| District | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament |
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| NI Assembly |
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Lower Falls was a special area in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was one of nine "district electoral areas" that helped choose local leaders. These areas existed from 1985 to 2014.
Lower Falls was located in the western part of Belfast. It elected five people to the Belfast City Council. The area included five smaller parts called wards: Beechmount, Clonard, Falls, Upper Springfield, and Whiterock.
Lower Falls was also part of the larger Belfast West area. This larger area chose members for the Northern Ireland Assembly and the UK Parliament. The name "Lower Falls" came from the famous Falls Road. This road is one of the main streets in west Belfast.
History of Lower Falls
Lower Falls was first created for the local elections in 1985. Before that, some of its wards were in different electoral areas. For example, the Falls and Clonard wards were in an area called "Area F." The other wards were in "Area D."
Lower Falls stopped being an electoral area in 2014. After that, its wards were moved to new areas. The Falls and Clonard wards joined the Court District Electoral Area. The other wards became part of a new area called Black Mountain District Electoral Area.
What are Wards?
Wards are like small neighborhoods or sections within a larger city area. They help organize elections and local services. Each ward has its own population and characteristics.
Here's a look at the wards that made up Lower Falls:
| Ward | Population (2011 Census) |
Area (km2) |
Density (people/km2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechmount | 5,485 | 0.84 | 6,530 |
| Clonard | 4,975 | 0.61 | 8,156 |
| Falls | 5,184 | 1.2 | 4,320 |
| Upper Springfield | 5,250 | 2.5 | 2,100 |
| Whiterock | 5,694 | 0.78 | 7,300 |
| Total for Lower Falls | 26,588 | 5.93 | 4,484 |
Councillors and Elections
Councillors are local politicians who represent people in their area. They work on issues like local services, planning, and community projects. The people of Lower Falls voted for five councillors to represent them on the Belfast City Council.
Different political parties had councillors elected in Lower Falls over the years. Here's a quick look at how many councillors each main party had in different elections:
- 2011 Election:
* Sinn Féin had 4 councillors. * The SDLP had 1 councillor. * This was a change from 2005, as the SDLP gained a seat from Sinn Féin.
- 2005 Election:
* Sinn Féin had all 5 councillors. * This was a change from 2001, as Sinn Féin gained a seat from the SDLP.
- 2001 Election:
* Sinn Féin had 4 councillors. * The SDLP had 1 councillor. * There was no change in the number of seats for each party compared to 1997.
- 1997 Election:
* Sinn Féin had 4 councillors. * The SDLP had 1 councillor. * There was no change in the number of seats for each party compared to 1993.
- 1993 Election:
* Sinn Féin had 4 councillors. * The SDLP had 1 councillor. * This was a change from 1989, as Sinn Féin gained a seat from the SDLP.
- 1989 Election:
* Sinn Féin had 3 councillors. * The SDLP had 2 councillors. * This was a change from 1985, as the SDLP gained a seat from the Alliance Party.
- 1985 Election:
* Sinn Féin had 3 councillors. * The SDLP had 1 councillor. * The Alliance Party had 1 councillor.
