Banbridge District Council

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Banbridge District

Geography
Area - Total - % Water	Ranked 15th 453 km² ? %
Admin HQ	Banbridge
ISO 3166-2	GB-BNB
ONS code	95Q
Demographics
Population - Total (2005) - Density	Ranked 18th 44,778 99 / km²
Community	Protestant: 66.0% Catholic: 31.5%
Politics
Banbridge District Council http://www.banbridgedc.gov.uk/
MPs	Jeffrey Donaldson Eddie McGrady David Simpson

Banbridge District Council is a local council in County Down in Northern Ireland. The Headquarters of the Council is in the town of Banbridge. The Council area is to the north-west of County Down and covers an area of 175 square miles of countryside - from Slieve Croob (1,775 feet) in the east to the River Bann valley in the west. It is also the main gateway to the Mourne Mountains, which lie to the south and is bisected by the A1 route between Belfast and Dublin. The other main small towns in the area include Rathfriland,Gilford, Scarva, Loughbrickland and Dromore. The population of the area is just over 41,000.

The district consists of three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore. In the last elections in 2005 17 members were elected from the following political parties: 7 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 5 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 3 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 1 Alliance Party and 1 Sinn Féin. In 2005-2006, the Council Chairman is Councillor Jim McElroy (DUP) and the Vice Chairman is Councillor Patrick McAleenan (SDLP). The next election is due to take place in May 2009.

In elections for the Westminster Parliament it is split between the Upper Bann, the Lagan Valley and the South Down constituencies.