Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council |
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| Area | 315 km2 (122 sq mi) Ranked 5th of 26 |
| District HQ | Dungannon |
| Catholic | 64.1% |
| Protestant | 33% |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| Councillors | |
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council was a local council in Northern Ireland. It helped manage local services and decisions for its area. This council existed from 1973 until 2015.
It was first called Dungannon District Council. In 1999, it became a "borough" and added "South Tyrone" to its name. This happened after they asked the government for the change. In May 2015, this council joined with two other councils. These were Cookstown District Council and Magherafelt District Council. Together, they formed a new, larger council called Mid-Ulster District Council.
What Areas Did the Council Cover?
The main town in the council area was Dungannon. This is where the council's main office was located. The council's area covered the southern part of County Tyrone. It also included a small part of County Armagh.
Nearly 58,000 people lived in this area. Some of the smaller towns included:
- Augher
- Clogher
- Fivemiletown
- Ballygawley
- Caledon
- Aughnacloy
- Benburb
- Moy
- Coalisland
The council area was split into four voting areas. These were Blackwater, Clogher Valley, Dungannon Town, and Torrent. In the 2005 elections, 22 members were chosen to represent these areas. These members came from different political parties.
The council used a special system to choose its Mayor and Deputy Mayor. This system made sure that bigger political parties had a fair chance to hold these important roles. The last Mayor was Councillor Michelle O'Neill. The Deputy Mayor was Councillor Norman Badger.
For elections to the Westminster Parliament (the UK's main parliament), the council's area was part of two larger voting areas. These were Mid-Ulster and Fermanagh & South Tyrone.
Why Did the Council Change?
The government decided to review how local councils worked. This was called the Review of Public Administration (RPA). Because of this review, Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council was planned to merge with other councils.
It was set to join Magherafelt District Council and Cookstown District Council. This merger would create one much larger council. The new area would be about 1,714 square kilometers. It would have a population of over 120,000 people.
Local elections were supposed to happen in 2009. However, the government decided to delay them. They wanted to wait until the new, larger councils were ready to start in 2011.
How Many People Lived There?
According to the 2011 Northern Ireland census, 57,852 people lived in the area covered by Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council.
