Craigavon Borough Council was a local council in counties Armagh, Down and Antrim, in Northern Ireland. It merged with Armagh City and District Council and Banbridge District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council.

The headquarters of the council were in Craigavon, on the shores of Lough Neagh, a new town built between Lurgan and Portadown. The council area included the large towns of Lurgan and Portadown, as well as smaller ones including Waringstown and Donaghcloney. The average council budget of £15.5 million provided a wide range of services to the 93,023 people living in the area.

The council area consisted of four electoral areas – Central, Loughside, Lurgan and Portadown – in which 26 councillors were elected every four years. The council held an annual meeting in June, at which a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected. Parties elected in 2011, the last elections for the council, were Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) nine seats, Sinn Féin eight, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) six, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) four, and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland one.

The last election was due to take place in May 2009, but on 25 April 2008, Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.Northern Ireland elections are postponed, BBC News, April 25, 2008, accessed April 27, 2008 The proposed reforms were abandoned in 2010, and the 2011 Northern Ireland local elections took place to fill the last body on the council before being dissolved The proposed reform took effect on 1 April 2015.

Together with part of the district of Banbridge, it was part of the Upper Bann constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Summary of seats won 1973–2011 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2011 Ulster Unionist (UUP) 11 10 9 11 12 10 11 8 6 6 Alliance (APNI) 4 3 1 2 2 1 1 Vanguard (VUPP) 4 Democratic Unionist (DUP) 3 4 7 6 4 4 3 6 9 9 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 2 6 5 5 6 6 7 7 4 2 Independent Nationalist (IN) 1 2 United Ulster Unionist (UUUP) 1 1 Workers' Party (WP) 1 2 2 1 1 Sinn Féin (SF) 2 1 2 2 4 6 8 Independent Unionist (IU) 1 1 1

Note: The Workers' Party were known as The Republican Clubs in 1977 and Workers Party Republican Clubs in 1981.

Source:

Mayor of Craigavon

YearNamePolitical affiliationDeputyDeputy's affiliation1973–75Joseph A. Johnston James McCammick 1975–76James McCammick Tom Creith 1976–77Tom Creith Herbert Whitten 1977–78Sydney Cairns Brian T. English 1978–79Herbert Whitten David Calvert 1979–80Alan Locke James McDonald 1980–81Frank Dale Sean Hagan 1981–82Mary Simpson David Calvert 1982–83Sam Gardiner James Gillespie 1983–84James Gillespie Frederick Baird 1984–85Arnold Hatch Patrick J. Crilly 1985–87George Savage James Gillespie 1987–88Sydney Cairns Arnold Hatch 1988–89Sam Gardiner James McCammick 1989–91James McCammick Joy Savage, thenJoe Trueman 1991–92Joe Trueman Fred Crowe 1992–93Fred Crowe Sam Lutton 1993–94Joy Savage Ruth Allen 1994–95Brian Maguinness Sean McKavanagh 1995–96Meta CrozierHugh Casey 1996 – Dec 96Hugh Casey Sam Lutton Dec 1996 – 97Sam Lutton Hugh Casey 1998–99Mervyn Carrick Dolores Kelly 1999–00Dolores Kelly Fred Crowe 2000–01Fred Crowe Mark Neale 2001–02Sam Gardiner Jonathan Bell 2002–03Jonathan Bell Sydney Anderson 2003–04Ignatius Fox David Simpson 2004–05David Simpson Ignatius Fox 2005–06George Savage Robert Smith 2006–07Kenneth Twyble Mary McAlinden 2007–08Robert Smith Kenneth Twyble 2008–09Sydney Anderson Arnold Hatch 2009–10Meta Crozier Philip Weir 2010–11Stephen Moutray Kieran Corr 2011–12Alan Carson George Savage 2012–13Carla Lockhart Arnold Hatch 2013–14Mark Baxter Colin McCusker 2014–15Colin McCusker Catherine Seeley

Source: Freedom of Information request to Craigavon Borough Council

Final council makeup

Below is a list of members who made up the final sitting of the council before it was dissolved.

NameParty Jonathan Buckley Phil Moutray Robert Smith Mark Baxter Margaret Tinsley Alan Carson Darryn Causby Gladys McCullough Carla Lockhart Catherine Seeley Mark O'Dowd Liam Mackle Mairead O'Dowd Paul Duffy Gemma McKenna Thomas O'Connor Noel McGeown Kyle Savage Arnold Hatch Ronald Harkness Colin McCusker Meta Crozier Kenneth Twyble Declan McAlinden Joseph Nelson Conrad Dixon

Council services Coney Island, Lough Neagh is owned by the National Trust and was managed on their behalf by Craigavon Borough Council.

Population The area covered by Craigavon Borough Council had a population of 93,023 residents according to the 2011 Northern Ireland census.

See also Local government in Northern Ireland

References