Local elections were held in Northern Ireland on Thursday 2 May 2019. The last elections were held in 2014. 819 candidates contested 462 seats across Northern Ireland's 11 local government districts. 1,305,384 people aged 18 and over were eligible to vote, and 52.7% of the electorate turned out.

Electoral system Northern Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system to elect members of local councils and members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Voters rank candidates in order of preference by marking 1, 2, 3, etc. to the names of candidates on a ballot paper and can rank as many or as few candidates as they like or just vote for one candidate. These were the second elections held on new boundaries, introduced in 2014.

These were the first Northern Ireland elections at which people have been able to register to vote online.

Background The Northern Ireland Assembly had been suspended since 2017 with the failure of powersharing between the DUP and Sinn Féin. However, in March 2019, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley stated that, after the local elections, the government wished to revive Assembly talks. At the 2017 United Kingdom general election, no party won an overall majority in the UK Parliament, so the DUP agreed a deal to support a minority Conservative government. UK politics was dominated by Brexit, which was due to take place before the local elections, however it was delayed until 31 January 2020.

All the parties with elected councillors from the last elections were running again, including the major parties of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Féin, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. The SDLP and Fianna Fáil held talks about running a joint campaign for the May 2019 local elections, with the possibility of the SDLP merging into Fianna Fáil. There was division within the membership of the SDLP as to what form of relationship to have between the two parties. The two parties announced a partnership agreement in January 2019 rather than a full merger. In February 2019, both party leaders criticised the DUP and Sinn Féin over the continuing deadlock over power sharing in the Assembly.

Aontú is a new party, an anti-abortion splinter from Sinn Féin, launched in January 2019. By February 2019, it had two councillors in Northern Ireland, one defecting from the SDLP and a second from Sinn Féin. The party nominated 16 candidates across 7 of the 11 local councils.

Candidates 819 candidates stood, compared to 905 at the previous elections. The DUP fielded 172, Sinn Féin 155, the UUP 117, the SDLP 85 and Alliance 84. Others standing include the Green Party Northern Ireland, TUV, People Before Profit Alliance, The Workers Party, Progressive Unionist Party, Cross-Community Labour Alternative, Aontú, NI Conservatives, UKIP and several independents.

Results Paralleling results in England, Alliance, some smaller parties and independents made significant gains. The largest nationalist party, Sinn Féin, returned the same number of councillors as in 2014. The DUP, UUP and SDLP all saw losses. The TUV saw significant losses and UKIP and NI21 lost all of their seats in the region, while Aontú and Cross-Community Labour Alternative won their first seats and there were gains by People Before Profit and the Greens.

Largest Party by Council CouncilSeatsTurnout Largest party prior to election Largest party post electionBelfast6051.0 (19) (18)Ards & North Down4043.6 (17) (14)Antrim & Newtownabbey4049.1 (15) (14)Lisburn & Castlereagh4049.7 (20) (15)Newry, Mourne & Down4156.1 (14) (16) (14)  Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon4153.6 (13) (11)Mid & East Antrim4048.1 (16) (15)Causeway Coast & Glens4051.8 (11) (14)Mid Ulster4060.1 (18) (17)Derry & Strabane4057.2 (16) (11)   (11)Fermanagh & Omagh 40 62.4 (17) (15)Total46252.7 (130) (122)

Results by Council

Name Northern Ireland Council Seats TotalDUPSFUUPSDLPAPNIGreenTUVPBPPUPAontúCCLAInd. Antrim & Newtownabbey145947––––––140 Ards & North Down14–811031––––340 Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon11101063––––––141 Belfast City151826104–32–––60 Causeway Coast & Glens149762–––1––140 Derry & Strabane7112112––2–1–440 Fermanagh & Omagh515951–––––1440 Lisburn & Castlereagh15211291–––––040 Mid & East Antrim152717–5––––340 Mid-Ulster91766–––––––240 Newry, Mourne & Down3164112––––––541 Total12210575595386531124462

Results by party Party Councillors % of councillors First preference votes % of FP votes 2014 2019 +/- 2014 2019 +/- 2014Vote 2011: Northern Ireland Council Elections, BBC News, 11 May 2011 2019 +/- 2014 2019 +/- 130122828.1%26.4%1.7%144,928163,61518,68723.1%24.13%1.0% 10510522.7%22.7%151,137157,4486,31124.1%23.22%0.8% 88751319.0%16.2%2.8%101,38595,3206,06516.1%14.06%2.1% 6659714.2%12.8%1.4%85,23781,4193,81813.6%12.01%1.6% 3253216.9%11.5%4.6%41,76978,05236,2836.7%11.51%4.8% 152493.2%5.2%2.0%26,68229,3392,6574.2%4.33%0.1% 4840.8%1.7%0.9%5,51514,2848,7690.8%2.11%1.3% 13672.8%1.3%1.5%28,31015,16513,1454.5%2.24%2.3% 1540.2%1.2%1.0%1,9239,4787,5550.3%1.40%1.1% 4310.8%0.6%0.2%12,7535,3387,4152.0%0.79%1.2% n/a11n/a0.2%0.2%n/a7,4597,459n/a1.10%1.1% n/a11n/a0.2%0.2%n/a880880n/a0.13% 3031.2%0.0%1.2%9,3113,0266,2851.4%0.45%1.0% 1010.0%0.0%1.6%2,5271,3641,1630.4%0.20%0.2% 000.0%0.0%9858681170.2% n/a0n/a0.0%n/a527527n/aSouth Belfast Unionistsn/a0n/a0.0%n/a233233n/a n/a0n/a0.0%n/a101101n/a 1n/a10.2%n/a0.2%11,495n/a11,4951.8%n/a1.8% Total462462100%100% 628,078663,916100%100%

Councils

Antrim and Newtownabbey Airport Party Candidate 1st Vikki McAuley1,221 Matthew Magill1,164 Thomas Burns1,125 Anne-Marie Logue1,095 Paul Michael893 Mervyn Rea568 Cathy Rooney505 Ben Mallon481Turnout7,052Alliance gain from UUP

Antrim Party Candidate 1st Neil Kelly1,689 John Smyth734 Roisin Lynch723 Leah Smyth615 Paul Dunlop603 Gerard Magee583 Jim Montgomery416 Karl McMeekin363 Adrian Cochrane-Watson359 Richard Cairns347Turnout6,432No change

Ballyclare Party Candidate 1st Danny Kinahan1,253 Michael Stewart1,182 Mandy Girvan861 Gary English775 Jeannie Archibald739 Vera McWilliam707 David Arthurs457 Austin Orr443 Norrie Ramsey341Turnout6,758Independent gain from TUV

Dunsilly Party Candidate 1st Henry Cushinan1,064 Glenn Finlay989 Linda Clarke965 Jordan Greer907 Ryan Wilson902 Roderick Swann711 Andrew Maguire552 Gareth Thomas424Turnout6,514Alliance gain from DUP

Glengormley Urban Party Candidate 1st Julian McGrath1,345 Phillip Brett1,099 Noreen McClelland992 Michael Goodman904 Mark Cosgrove891 Alison Bennington856 Rosie Kinnear801 Samantha Burns373 Paul Veronica341 Michael Maguire337Turnout7,939Sinn Féin gain from UUP

Macedon Party Candidate 1st Billy Webb1,127 Paul Hamill1,043 Thomas Hogg999 Robert Foster956 Taylor McGrann765 Stafford Ward343 Victor Robinson327 Dean McCullough321 David Hollis223 Robert Hill154Turnout6,258Sinn Féin gain from TUV

Three Mile Water Party Candidate 1st Mark Cooper1,230 Stephen Ross1,103 Fraser Agnew1,100 Tom Campbell1,075 Julie Gilmour749 Stephen McCarthy514 Sam Flanagan489 Raymond Stewart319 Norman Boyd234 Gary Grattan223Turnout7,036Alliance gain from UUP

Ards and North Down Ards Peninsula Party Candidate 1st Robert Adair2,189 Joe Boyle1,621 Angus Carson832 Lorna McAlpine832 Eddie Thompson821 Nigel Edmund735 Michele Strong319 Matt Davey234 Murdock McKibbin196 Tim Mullen58Turnout7,837No change

Bangor Central Party Candidate 1st Karen Douglas1,346 Stephen Dunlop1,046 Wesley Irvine878 Alistair Cathcart787 Craig Blaney757 Ian Henry542 Ray McKimm503 Noelle Robinson423 Maria Lourenço362 James Cochrane255 John Montgomery215 Frank Shivers210 Gavan Reynolds33Turnout7,357Independent gain from UUP

Bangor East and Donaghadee Party Candidate 1st Mark Brooks1,327 Gavin Walker1,303 David Chambers963 Peter Martin902 Tom Smith764 Bill Keery764 Hannah McNamara735 Janice MacArthur702 Paul Leeman137Turnout7,598Tom Smith leaves DUP

Bangor West Party Candidate 1st Connie Egan1,151 Jennifer Gilmour990 Marion Smith982 Barry McKee949 Alan Graham749 Scott Wilson703 Ben English114 Kieran Maxwell71Turnout5,709Alliance gain from DUP

Comber Party Candidate 1st Deborah Girvan1,516 Philip Smith1,082 Robert Gibson985 Trevor Cummings843 Stephen Cooper695 John Montgomery643 Ricky Bamford372 Michael Palmer318 John Sloan73Turnout6,527No change

Holywood and Clandeboye Party Candidate 1st Andrew Muir1,397 Rachel Woods1,311 Gillian Greer1,249 Stephen Dunne1,139 Roberta Dunlop677 Carl McClean507 Tim Lemon416 Andrew Turner141Turnout6,837Alliance gain from DUP

Newtownards Party Candidate 1st Jimmy Menagh2,138 Naomi Armstrong1,232 Nick Mathison1,091 Stephen McIlveen898 Richard Smart736 Alan McDowell574 Colin Kennedy570 Ian Dickson481 Maurice Macartney374 Paul Corry223 Ben King24Turnout8,341Alliance gain from UUP

Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Armagh Party Candidate 1st Garath Keating2,037 Sam Nicholson1,697 Jackie Donnelly1,677 Freda Donnelly1,638 Thomas O'Hanlon1,491 Darren McNally1,413 Mealla Campbell1,246 Martin Kelly822 Jackie Coade674 Pol Oh-Again28Turnout12,723Sinn Féin gain from DUP

Banbridge Party Candidate 1st Glenn Barr1,764 Paul Greenfield1,563 Brian Pope1,425 Jill Macauley1,350 Seamus Doyle1,309 Ian Burns1,273 Junior McCrum1,232 Kevin Savage1,038 Vincent McAleenan676 William Martin508Turnout12,138Alliance gain from SDLP

Craigavon Party Candidate 1st Margaret Tinsley1,416 Catherine Nelson1,332 Thomas Larkham1,244 Robert Smith1,105 Kenneth Twyble1,037 Declan McAlinden1,014 Kate Evans871 Michael Tallon727 Sean Hagan699 Fergal Lennon230Turnout9,675SDLP gain from DUP

Cusher Party Candidate 1st Gareth Wilson2,248 Paul Berry2,009 Jim Speers1,633 Brona Haughey1,519 Gordon Kennedy1,229 Quincey Dougan1,215 Seamus Livingstone901 Gareth Hay462 Paul Bowbanks241Turnout11,457Sinn Féin gain from SDLP

Lagan River Party Candidate 1st Mark Baxter1,876 Kyle Savage1,614 Paul Rankin1,444 Eóin Tennyson960 Olive Mercer871 Tim McClelland678 Samuel Morrison499 John O'Hare369 Tony Gorrell227 Sammy Ogle217 Jordan Stewart129Turnout8,884Alliance gain from UUP

Lurgan Party Candidate 1st Keith Haughian1,974 Louise McKinstry1,524 Stephen Moutray1,504 Peter Lavery1,321 Terry McWilliams1,282 Liam Mackle1,190 Joe Nelson1,046 Ciaran Toman926 Sorcha McGeown823 Noel McGeown454Turnout12,044Alliance gain from DUP

Portadown Party Candidate 1st Darren Causby2,077 Sydney Anderson1,696 Paul Duffy1,675 Julie Flaherty1,512 Eamonn McNeill967 Lavelle McIlwrath866 Emma Hutchinson570 Darrin Foster547 Arnold Hatch506 Callum O'Dufaigh392 David Jones266 David Jameson149Turnout11,223DUP gain from UUP SDLP gain from UKIP

Belfast Balmoral Party Candidate 1st Kate Nicholl1,842 David Graham1,442 Dónal Lyons1,306 Geraldine McAteer1,283 Sarah Bunting1,025 Michael Mulhern813 Jeffrey Dudgeon660 Caoimhe O'Connell504 Pádraigín Mervyn202 William Traynor133Turnout9,210DUP gain from UUP

Black Mountain Party Candidate 1st Matt Collins2,268 Ciaran Beattie1,893 Steven Corr1,864 Arder Carson1,634 Micheal Donnelly1,535 Emma Groves1,431 Ronan McLaughlin1,316 Paul Doherty783 Eoin Geraghty750 Liam Norris213 Stevie Maginn206 Conor Campbell162Turnout14,053Sinn Féin gain from SDLP

Botanic Party Candidate 1st Áine Groogan1,401 Tracy Kelly1,365 Deirdre Hargey1,325 Emmet McDonough-Brown1,143 Gary McKeown1,009 Micky Murray754 Graham Craig615 Declan Boyle609 Paul Loughran383 Richard Kennedy333 Billy Dickson233 Caitríona Mullaghan229 Ian Shanks170 Paddy Lynn87 John Hiddleston82Turnout9,758Green gain from UUP

Castle Party Candidate 1st Nuala McAllister1,787 John Finucane1,650 Fred Cobain1,439 Guy Spence1,407 Mary Ellen Campbell1,103 David Browne1,014 Mal O'Hara882 Carl Whyte651 Heather Wilson551 Patrick Convery377 Riley Johnson204 Gemma Weir159 Cathal Mullaghan76Turnout11,300Green gain from UUP