Oldpark (District Electoral Area) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oldpark |
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| Belfast City Council DEA Constituency | |
Oldpark DEA marked on a map of Belfast City Council and its wards
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| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2014 |
| Seats | 6 (2014–) |
| Councillors | |
Oldpark is a special area in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's one of ten "district electoral areas" (DEAs) in the city. Think of a DEA as a local voting district. Oldpark is located in the northern part of Belfast.
People living in Oldpark get to choose six people to represent them on the Belfast City Council. These representatives are called councillors. They help make decisions for the city. Oldpark is also part of a larger area called Belfast North for both the Northern Ireland Assembly (which makes laws for Northern Ireland) and the UK Parliament (which makes laws for the whole United Kingdom).
Contents
What is Oldpark's History?
The Oldpark district was first created for local elections in 1985. Before that, its different parts belonged to other areas of Belfast. For example, the areas of Legoniel, Ballysillan, and Ardoyne were once part of "Area E." New Lodge and the southern part of Waterworks were in "Area G." And Cliftonville and the northern part of Waterworks were in "Area H." This change helped to make local government more organized.
What are the Wards in Oldpark?
Oldpark is made up of six smaller areas called "wards." Each ward is like a neighbourhood within the larger Oldpark district. Here are the wards and some facts about them from the 2011 Census:
| Ward Name | Population (2011 Census) |
Area (km²) | Density (people/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardoyne | 5,987 | 0.58 | 10,322 |
| Ballysillan | 5,626 | 1.11 | 5,068 |
| Cliftonville | 5,330 | 1.18 | 4,517 |
| Legoniel | 6,409 | 8.82 | 727 |
| New Lodge | 4,950 | 0.72 | 6,875 |
| Water Works | 5,829 | 1.27 | 4,590 |
| Total for Oldpark | 34,131 | 13.68 | 2,495 |
Who are the Oldpark Councillors?
The councillors are the people elected to represent Oldpark on the Belfast City Council. They work to improve the area and help local residents. Here are the councillors who were elected in the most recent election (2023) and some of the councillors from previous elections:
| Election | Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
Councillor (Party) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nichola Bradley (Sinn Féin) |
Jordan Doran (DUP) |
JJ Magee (Sinn Féin) |
Paul McCusker (Independent) |
Ryan Murphy (Sinn Féin) |
Tomás Ó Néill (Sinn Féin) |
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| 2019 | Paul McCusker (SDLP) |
Dale Pankhurst (DUP) |
Ryan Murphy (Sinn Féin) |
Shauneen Baker (Sinn Féin) |
J. J. Magee (Sinn Féin) |
Fiona Ferguson (PBP) |
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| 2014 | Mary Clarke (Sinn Féin) |
J.J. Magee (Sinn Féin) |
Gerry McCabe (Sinn Féin) |
Gareth McKee (DUP) |
Julie-Anne Corr (PUP) |
Nichola Mallon (SDLP) |
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How Do Elections Work in Oldpark?
In Oldpark, councillors are chosen using a system called "Single Transferable Vote" (STV). This means voters rank candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, and so on). This system helps to make sure that different groups and parties are fairly represented.
2023 Election Results
In the 2023 election, people in Oldpark voted for their six councillors.
- In 2019, the elected councillors were from Sinn Féin (3), SDLP (1), DUP (1), and People Before Profit (1).
- In 2023, the results changed to Sinn Féin (4), DUP (1), and Independent (1).
- This means Sinn Féin gained one seat from People Before Profit, and the Independent councillor used to be part of the SDLP party.
| Oldpark - 6 seats | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 | Count 6 | Count 7 | |
| Sinn Féin | Nichola Bradley* | 15.12% | 1,870 | |||||||
| Independent | Paul McCusker* | 14.13% | 1,747 | 1,764.05 | 1,835.05 | |||||
| Sinn Féin | JJ Magee* | 13.09% | 1,619 | 1,637.15 | 1,665.60 | 1,668.60 | 1,714.05 | 1,714.05 | 1,877.05 | |
| Sinn Féin | Ryan Murphy* | 11.56% | 1,430 | 1,472.70 | 1,493.95 | 1,497.95 | 1,524.05 | 1,526.05 | 1,704.40 | |
| Democratic Unionist | Jordan Doran* | 10.21% | 1,263 | 1,263.00 | 1,273.05 | 1,273.05 | 1,310.05 | 1,606.05 | 1,634.10 | |
| Sinn Féin | Tomás Ó Néill | 10.76% | 1,330 | 1,335.35 | 1,353.45 | 1,367.45 | 1,402.70 | 1,404.70 | 1,601.55 | |
| Democratic Unionist | Gillian Simpson | 7.43% | 919 | 919.00 | 924.00 | 924.00 | 962.00 | 1,232.00 | 1,260.00 | |
| People Before Profit | Fiona Ferguson* | 5.66% | 700 | 704.65 | 830.85 | 849.85 | 1,114.15 | 1,125.15 | ||
| Traditional Unionist Voice | Ann McClure | 4.81% | 595 | 595.00 | 604.00 | 604.00 | 624.00 | |||
| Alliance | Chris Shannon | 3.66% | 453 | 453.75 | 578.45 | 597.45 | ||||
| Social Democratic and Labour | Charlotte Carson | 1.98% | 245 | 248.55 | ||||||
| Green Party | Ange Cruz | 1.20% | 149 | 149.35 | ||||||
| style="background-color: Template:Workers' Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Workers' Party (Ireland) | Fiona McCarthy | 0.37% | 46 | 46.30 | |||||
| Electorate: 23,871 Valid: 12,366 (51.80%) Spoilt: 193 Quota: 1,767 Turnout: 12,559 (52.61%) | ||||||||||
