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Down District Council is a Local Council in County Down
County Down

County Down is one of the nine Counties of Ireland that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of ....
 in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
. The Council is headquartered in Downpatrick
Downpatrick

Downpatrick is a town in County Down in Northern Ireland, about 33 km south of Belfast. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick....
. Other towns in the Council area are Ardglass
Ardglass

Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbor. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea....
, Ballynahinch
Ballynahinch, County Down

Ballynahinch is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland and with Newcastle, County Down and Downpatrick, one of the three largest towns of the Down District Council area....
, Castlewellan
Castlewellan

Castlewellan is a large village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, 11 miles south west of Downpatrick....
, Clough
Clough

Clough is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated approximately 3 miles from Dundrum, County Down on the A2 road between Newcastle, County Down and Belfast....
, Crossgar
Crossgar

Crossgar is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, approximately 15 miles south of Belfast in Northern Ireland on the main A7 road between Saintfield and Downpatrick....
, Dundrum
Dundrum, County Down

Dundrum is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, lying by Dundrum Bay. It is situated 4 miles outside Newcastle, County Down on the A24 road....
, Killough
Killough

Killough is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland, five miles south east of Downpatrick. It is notable for its sycamore-lined main street....
, Killyleagh
Killyleagh

Killyleagh is a large village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated on the A22 road from Downpatrick, on the western side of Strangford Lough....
, Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down

Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2001. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club....
, Saintfield
Saintfield

Saintfield is a market town located in mid-County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road ....
, Seaforde
Seaforde

Seaforde is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland, one mile north of Clough on the main Ballynahinch to Newcastle, County Down road....
 and Strangford
Strangford

Strangford is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated across Strangford Lough from Portaferry and is the main base for the Strangford Lough ferry service....
. It covers a population of nearly 64,000.

The Down District Council area consists of 4 electoral areas: Ballynahinch, Downpatrick, Newcastle and Rowallane. At the last election in 2005 23 Councillors were elected from the following political parties: 10 Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is one of the two major Irish nationalism parties in Northern Ireland. During the The Troubles, the SDLP was consistently the most popular nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but since the Provisional IRA cease-fire in 1994, it has lost ground to its rival Sinn F?in, which, in 2001, became the more p...
 (SDLP), 5 Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
, 4 Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party is the more moderate of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Prior to the split in Unionism in the late 1960s, when the former Protestant Unionist Party began to attract more hard line support away from the UUP, it governed Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972 as the sole Unionist party....
 (UUP), 3 Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main Unionism political party in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson , it is the largest party in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
 (DUP) and 1 Green Party
Green Party in Northern Ireland

The Green Party in Northern Ireland is a cross-community political party in Northern Ireland, based on the princples of Green politics. It is currently led by two Co-Chairs, John Barry and Kelly Andrews....
.






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Down District Council is a Local Council in County Down
County Down

County Down is one of the nine Counties of Ireland that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Northern Ireland. The county forms an area of ....
 in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
. The Council is headquartered in Downpatrick
Downpatrick

Downpatrick is a town in County Down in Northern Ireland, about 33 km south of Belfast. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick....
. Other towns in the Council area are Ardglass
Ardglass

Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbor. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea....
, Ballynahinch
Ballynahinch, County Down

Ballynahinch is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland and with Newcastle, County Down and Downpatrick, one of the three largest towns of the Down District Council area....
, Castlewellan
Castlewellan

Castlewellan is a large village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, 11 miles south west of Downpatrick....
, Clough
Clough

Clough is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated approximately 3 miles from Dundrum, County Down on the A2 road between Newcastle, County Down and Belfast....
, Crossgar
Crossgar

Crossgar is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, approximately 15 miles south of Belfast in Northern Ireland on the main A7 road between Saintfield and Downpatrick....
, Dundrum
Dundrum, County Down

Dundrum is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, lying by Dundrum Bay. It is situated 4 miles outside Newcastle, County Down on the A24 road....
, Killough
Killough

Killough is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland, five miles south east of Downpatrick. It is notable for its sycamore-lined main street....
, Killyleagh
Killyleagh

Killyleagh is a large village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated on the A22 road from Downpatrick, on the western side of Strangford Lough....
, Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down

Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2001. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club....
, Saintfield
Saintfield

Saintfield is a market town located in mid-County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road ....
, Seaforde
Seaforde

Seaforde is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland, one mile north of Clough on the main Ballynahinch to Newcastle, County Down road....
 and Strangford
Strangford

Strangford is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated across Strangford Lough from Portaferry and is the main base for the Strangford Lough ferry service....
. It covers a population of nearly 64,000.

The Down District Council area consists of 4 electoral areas: Ballynahinch, Downpatrick, Newcastle and Rowallane. At the last election in 2005 23 Councillors were elected from the following political parties: 10 Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is one of the two major Irish nationalism parties in Northern Ireland. During the The Troubles, the SDLP was consistently the most popular nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but since the Provisional IRA cease-fire in 1994, it has lost ground to its rival Sinn F?in, which, in 2001, became the more p...
 (SDLP), 5 Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
, 4 Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party is the more moderate of the two main Unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Prior to the split in Unionism in the late 1960s, when the former Protestant Unionist Party began to attract more hard line support away from the UUP, it governed Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972 as the sole Unionist party....
 (UUP), 3 Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main Unionism political party in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson , it is the largest party in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom....
 (DUP) and 1 Green Party
Green Party in Northern Ireland

The Green Party in Northern Ireland is a cross-community political party in Northern Ireland, based on the princples of Green politics. It is currently led by two Co-Chairs, John Barry and Kelly Andrews....
. One of the UUP councillors has since defected
Party switching

In politics, the term party-switching refers to any change in political party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one currently holding election office....
 to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom....
. The current Council Chairman is Councillor Colin McGrath (SDLP) and the Vice Chair is Councillor William Dick (DUP).

In elections for the Westminster Parliament it is split between the Strangford constituency and the South Down constituency.

Work of the Council

The Council has periodically had to provide funding to ensure that the Saint Patrick Visitor Centre
Saint Patrick Visitor Centre

The Saint Patrick Visitor Centre is a modern exhibition complex located in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a permanent interpretative exhibition centre featuring interactive displays on the life and story of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland....
 in Downpatrick
Downpatrick

Downpatrick is a town in County Down in Northern Ireland, about 33 km south of Belfast. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick....
 remains in operation. It has also funded a major promenade infrastructure regeneration in Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down

Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2001. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club....
. The new promenade has won a number of National awards including a Civic Trust
Civic Trust

The Civic Trust of England and Wales is a charitable organization founded in 1957. Its prime purpose is to improve the quality of new and historic buildings and public spaces, and to help improve the general quality of urban life....
 Award for Excellence in the Public Realm.

Review of Public Administration

Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the Council is due to merge with Newry and Mourne District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council

Newry and Mourne District Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. It includes much of the south of County Armagh and the south of County Down and has a population of approximately 93,400....
 in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 1539 km² and a population of 150,886. The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward
Shaun Woodward

Shaun Anthony Woodward Member of Parliament is a United Kingdom politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour Party Member of Parliament for St Helens South ....
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the chief Political minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland, at the head of the Northern Ireland Office....
 announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.

See also

  • Local Councils in Northern Ireland


External links