1989 Ards Borough Council election

Main article: Northern Ireland local elections, 1989

Elections to Ards Borough Council were held on 17 May 1989 on the same day as the other Northern Irish local government elections. The election used three district electoral areas to elect a total of 20 councillors.

1989 Ards Borough Council election

17 May 1989 (1989-05-17)
All 20 seats to Ards Borough Council 11 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party UUP DUP Alliance Seats won 8 7 4 Seat change 2 1 1   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Party Ind. Unionist NI Labour UPUP Seats won 1 0 0 Seat change 1 1 1   Seventh party   Party Independent Seats won 0 Seat change 1

Election results

Ards Borough Council Election Result 1989

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	UUP	8	2	0	2	40.0	41.3	7,926	10.8
	DUP	7	0	1	1	35.0	32.2	6,187	7.1
	Alliance	4	1	0	1	20.0	18.8	3,610	6.4
	Ind. Unionist	1	1	0	1	5.0	4.7	907	4.7
	Independent	0	0	1	1	0.0	2.9	564	1.2

Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes.

Districts summary

Results of the Ards Borough Council election, 1989
by district

Ward	%	Cllrs	%	Cllrs	%	Cllrs	%	Cllrs	Total Cllrs
	UUP		DUP		Alliance		Others
Ards Peninsula	38.3	3	30.0	2	23.6	2	8.1	0	7
Ards West	54.5	3	27.8	2	17.6	1	0.0	0	6
Newtownards	32.1	2	38.9	3	14.7	1	14.3	1	7
Total	41.3	8	32.2	7	18.8	4	7.7	1	20

Districts results

Ards Peninsula

1985: 2 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x UPUP, 1 x Independent
1989: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance
1985-1989 Change: UUP and Alliance gain from UPUP and Independent

Ards Peninsula - 7 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	Alliance	Kieran McCarthy*	16.19%	1,119
	DUP	Jim Shannon*	14.90%	1,030
	UUP	John Shields*	14.73%	1,018
	UUP	Robert Ambrose*	14.59%	1,008
	DUP	Mervyn Rea	8.45%	584	588.56	682.4	705.49	738.45	748.8	1,139.8
	UUP	Ronald Ferguson	6.64%	459	464.52	474.21	586.38	688.3	786.85	845.31	983.31
	Alliance	Clifford Auld	7.41%	512	698	705.48	717.3	726.1	742	753.72	765.72
	Independent	James McMullan	8.16%	564	616.32	616.83	616.83	617.95	619	624.15	632.15
	DUP	Oliver Johnston*	6.54%	452	453.44	502.4	511.57	519.09	531.84
	UUP	Trevor Hussey	2.39%	165	167.4	172.5
Electorate: 16,006   Valid: 6,911 (43.18%)   Spoilt: 229   Quota: 864   Turnout: 7,140 (44.61%)

Ards West

1985: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance
1989: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 1 x Alliance
1985-1989 Change: UUP gain from DUP

Ards West - 6 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6
	UUP	Robert Gibson*	23.16%	1,375
	UUP	Edward Archdale	13.73%	815	930.05
	UUP	Bobby McBride*	13.02%	773	856.46
	DUP	David McKibbin	10.43%	619	698.17	702.09	759.48	887.48
	Alliance	Jim McBriar*	11.12%	660	692.37	696.57	700.57	706.8	1,072.8
	DUP	John Hamilton*	10.97%	651	684.15	689.47	727.47	817.61	822.78
	UUP	William Elliott	4.60%	273	427.05	488.37	497.65	515	530.07
	Alliance	Alan McDowell	6.52%	387	393.24	394.08	400.08	402.08
	DUP	Glynn Moore	3.20%	190	205.21	207.45	268.12
	DUP	Andrew Marks	3.27%	194	195.17	196.01
Electorate: 13,303   Valid: 5,937 (44.63%)   Spoilt: 136   Quota: 849   Turnout: 6,073 (45.65%)

Newtownards

1985: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x NILP
1989: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Independent Unionist
1985-1989 Change: Independent Unionist gain from NILP

Newtownards - 7 seats

Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count
				1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	UUP	Thomas Benson*	20.60%	1,307
	DUP	Simpson Gibson*	20.22%	1,283
	Alliance	Owen Dorrian*	11.33%	719	757	763.08	770.08	964.08
	DUP	Wilbert Magill	8.64%	548	565.6	679.98	686.38	686.38	687.38	799.54
	DUP	John Elliott*	6.43%	408	450.4	625.2	633.1	633.48	634.48	785.14	906.14
	UUP	David Smyth*	7.12%	452	544	565.66	625.38	628.18	671.18	699.68	794.68
	Ind. Unionist	John Purdy	7.45%	473	485.4	496.04	503.22	511.82	578.82	585.74	682.36	697.36
	UUP	Thomas Hamilton	2.88%	183	430.6	449.22	482.58	489.58	525.58	535.06	603.58	636.58
	Ind. Unionist	William Hannigan	6.84%	434	449.6	473.92	478.72	481.12	490.12	504.1
	DUP	Cedric Wilson	3.59%	228	236.4	339.38	340.18	342.58	343.58
	Alliance	Laurence Thompson	3.36%	213	218.2	218.58	221.58
	UUP	James McKernon	1.54%	98	130.8	136.12
Electorate: 16,907   Valid: 6,346 (37.53%)   Spoilt: 175   Quota: 794   Turnout: 6,521 (38.57%)