Newry and Mourne District Council facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Newry and Mourne District |
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| Area | 902 km2 (348 sq mi) Ranked 3rd of 26 |
| District HQ | Newry |
| Catholic | 79.4% |
| Protestant | 18% |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| Councillors |
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The Newry and Mourne District Council (which in Irish is called Comhairle an Iúir agus Mhúrn) was a local government group in Northern Ireland. It was responsible for looking after the area of Newry and Mourne.
In May 2015, this council joined together with the Down District Council. They formed a new, bigger council called the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. This happened because of changes to how local government was organised in Northern Ireland.
Contents
About the Area and Its History
The Newry and Mourne area covered parts of southern County Armagh and southern County Down. More than 99,000 people lived there. The main office for the council was in Newry. Newry is the biggest town and the only city in the area, with about 28,850 people living there.
Other towns in the council's area included Crossmaglen and Bessbrook in County Armagh. In County Down, there were towns like Warrenpoint, Rostrevor, Hilltown, Annalong, and Kilkeel. Kilkeel is a very important place for fishing.
The council was first set up in 1973. This happened because of a law called the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The area it covered was made up of several smaller districts from County Down and County Armagh.
From 1973 to 1985, the council area was divided into six voting areas. Later, in 1985, this was changed to five voting areas. These were called Crotlieve, Fews, Newry Town, Slieve Gullion, and The Mournes. In 1993, one of its 30 smaller areas, called Rathfriland, was moved to the Banbridge Council.
In the 2005 elections, 30 people were chosen to be council members. They came from different political parties:
- 14 from Sinn Féin
- 9 from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
- 3 from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
- 1 from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
- 2 who were Independent (meaning they didn't belong to a party)
- 1 from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)
Council Decisions and Fairness
In April 2014, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland looked into a decision made by the Newry and Mourne District Council. The council had decided to keep the name of a children's play park. The name was linked to a person who was part of a group called the IRA. This person had been involved in a very sad event where Protestant workers were killed.
Many people, especially those from the Protestant community, felt upset by the name. They thought it caused bad feelings. The Equality Commission said that the council should have thought more about how their decision would affect all people in the community. They felt the council didn't consider how it might make Protestant people feel or how it could harm good relationships between different groups. The commission's job is to make sure everyone is treated fairly and that decisions help build good relationships.
Election Results
When people voted for the Westminster Parliament (the main UK government) and the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Newry and Mourne area was split. It was part of two different voting areas: the Newry & Armagh constituency and the South Down constituency.
2011 Election Results
This table shows how many seats each political party won in the 2011 elections for the council.
| Party | seats | change +/− | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • | Sinn Féin | 14 | +1 |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party | 9 | = |
| • | Ulster Unionist Party | 3 | = |
| • | Democratic Unionist Party | 1 | −1 |
| • | Green Party in Northern Ireland | 1 | = |
| • | UK Independence Party | 1 | +1 |
| • | Independent | 2 | = |
2005 Election Results
This table shows how many seats each political party won in the 2005 elections for the council.
| Party | seats | change +/− | |
|---|---|---|---|
| • | Sinn Féin | 13 | = |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party | 9 | −1 |
| • | Ulster Unionist Party | 3 | −1 |
| • | Democratic Unionist Party | 2 | +1 |
| • | Green Party in Northern Ireland | 1 | +1 |
| • | Independent | 2 | = |
- This includes Henry Reilly, who was a member of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). He had previously been with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) until February 2007.
Leaders of the Council
When Newry became a city in 2002, the leader of the council was given the new title of Mayor of Newry. Before that, they were called the Chairman of Newry & Mourne District Council.
Mayors of Newry
Here is a list of the people who served as Mayor of Newry:
- 2003: Frank Feely, Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2003 – 04: Jackie Patterson, Independent
- 2004 – 05: Henry Reilly, Ulster Unionist Party
- 2005 – 06: Pat McGinn, Sinn Féin
- 2006 – 07: Michael Carr, Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2007 – 08: Michael Cole, Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2008 – 09: Colman Burns, Sinn Féin
- 2009 – 10: John Feehan Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2010 – 11: Mick Murphy, Sinn Féin
- 2011 – 12: Charlie Casey Sinn Féin
- 2012 – 13: John McArdle Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2013 - 14: Michael Ruane Sinn Féin
- 2014 - 15: Dáire Hughes Sinn Féin
Deputy Mayors of Newry
Here is a list of the people who served as Deputy Mayor of Newry:
- 2005 - 06: Michael Carr, Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2006 - 07: Martin Connolly, Sinn Féin
- 2007 - 08: Charlie Casey, Sinn Féin
- 2008 - 09: Isaac Hannah, Ulster Unionist Party
- 2009 - 10: Charlie Casey, Sinn Féin
- 2010 - 11: Karen McKevitt, Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2011 - 12: Geraldine Donnelly, Social Democratic and Labour Party
- 2012 - 13: Patrick McDonald, Sinn Féin
- 2013 - 14: David Taylor, Ulster Unionist Party
- 2014 - 15: Brain Quinn, Social Democratic and Labour Party
Changes to Local Government
As part of a plan called the Review of Public Administration (RPA), the Newry and Mourne District Council was planned to join with the Down District Council. This merger was originally set for 2011. The new, combined council would cover a much larger area of about 1539 square kilometres and have a population of around 150,886 people.
The elections for district councils were supposed to happen in May 2009. However, on April 25, 2008, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, announced that these elections would be put off. They were postponed until the eleven new councils were ready to start in 2011. The merger finally happened in April 2015, creating the new Newry City, Mourne and Down District Council.
Population Information
According to the 2011 Northern Ireland census, the area that was covered by the Newry and Mourne District Council had a population of 99,480 people.
