Lisburn City Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lisburn City Council
Area	447 km2 (173 sq mi)  Ranked 16th of 26
District HQ	Lisburn
Catholic	36.5%
Protestant	55.9%
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
Website	{Defunct}
List of places UK Northern Ireland

Lisburn City Council was a local government group that looked after parts of County Antrim and County Down in Northern Ireland. Think of it like a local team that made decisions for the area. In May 2015, this council joined up with Castlereagh Borough Council. Together, they formed a new, bigger council called Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council. This change was part of a big plan to update local government in Northern Ireland.

The Lisburn City Council was created in 1974. It was one of the largest councils in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. The main office for the council was in the city of Lisburn. It was the second-biggest council area in Northern Ireland. Over 120,000 people lived there. The council covered about 447 square kilometers (174 square miles). This area included places like Glenavy and Dundrod in the north. It also covered Dromara and Hillsborough in the south. In the west, you would find Moira and Aghalee. To the east was Drumbo.

The council area was divided into five voting areas. These were Downshire, Dunmurry Cross, Killultagh, Lisburn Town North, and Lisburn Town South. There were 30 councillors, who are like elected representatives. They were last chosen in 2011. The council had members from different political groups. These included 14 from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). There were 5 from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Five members were from Sinn Féin. The Alliance Party had 3 members. Finally, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) also had 3 members.

For elections to the Westminster Parliament (the main government in the UK), the council area was split. It was part of the Lagan Valley constituency. It also included parts of Belfast West and South Antrim. The first elections for the new, combined council happened in May 2014.

Places in the Council Area

The Lisburn City Council area included several cities, towns, and villages. These places were:

• Aghalee
• Annahilt
• Dunmurry
• Drumbo
• Dromara
• Glenavy
• Hillsborough
• Lisburn
• Maghaberry
• Moira

Council Elections: A Look at the Past

Map showing the voting areas of Lisburn from 1993 to 2014.

Over the years, different political parties won seats on the Lisburn City Council. Here's a simple look at how many seats some parties won in elections from 1973 to 2011:

2011 Election Results

The 2011 election showed that the DUP and Sinn Féin parties gained more support in the council area. For example, the DUP won an extra seat from the UUP in the Downshire area. Sinn Féin also gained a seat from the SDLP in Dunmurry Cross. However, the SDLP gained a seat in Lisburn Town North. This was a first for them in that area. The Killultagh and Lisburn Town South areas did not see any changes in seats.

Here's how the main parties did in the 2011 election:

Leaders of Lisburn: The Mayors

The Mayor is like the main leader of the council. They represent the city and lead council meetings. Here are some of the people who served as Mayor of Lisburn:

• 1964 – 70: James Howard (He was the first Mayor of the Borough of Lisburn)
• 1970 – 73: Hugh Gray Bass
• 1977 – 78: Elsie Kelsey, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1978 – 79: George McCartney
• 1979 – 81: Alderman Dr Samuel Semple MBE, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1981 – 83: Billy Belshaw, Democratic Unionist Party
• 1983 – 85: Maureen McKinney, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1985 – 87: Walter Lilburn, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1988 – 89: Billy Bleakes, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1990 – 91: Willam McAllister, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1991 – 93: Ivan Davis, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1993 – 94: Seamus Close, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
• 1994 – 96: Harry Lewis Ulster Unionist Party
• 1996 – 98: George Morrison, Ulster Unionist Party
• 1998 – 00: Peter O'Hagan, Social Democratic and Labour Party
• 2000 – 02: Jim Dillon, Ulster Unionist Party
• 2002 – 03: Betty Campbell, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
• 2003 – 04: Billy Bell, Ulster Unionist Party
• 2004 – 05: Cecil Calvert, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2005 – 06: Jonathan Craig, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2006 – 07: Trevor Lunn, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
• 2007 – 08: James Tinsley, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2008 – 09: Ronnie Crawford, Ulster Unionist Party
• 2009 – 10: Allan Ewart, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2010 – 11: Paul Porter, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2011 – 12: Brian Heading, Social Democratic and Labour Party
• 2012 – 13: William Leathem, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2013 – 14: Margaret Tolerton, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2014 – 15: Andrew Ewing, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2018 - 19: Uel Mackin, Democratic Unionist Party
• 2022- 23: Scott Carson Democratic Unionist Party

Changes to Local Government

There was a plan called the Review of Public Administration (RPA). This plan suggested that Lisburn City Council should join with Castlereagh Borough Council. This would create a larger council covering about 540 square kilometers. It would serve a population of over 175,000 people. Elections for these new councils were first planned for 2009. However, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that these elections would be put off. They were postponed until the new councils were ready in 2011. Later, the start of the new councils was delayed even further, until 2015.

Population of the Area

In 2011, the area that Lisburn City Council looked after had 120,165 people living in it. This number comes from the 2011 Northern Ireland census, which counts how many people live in an area.